10 Oct 2019

The construction of physical infrastructure at Milk Afric Dairy Project in Lobatse is complete, but commencement of production activities is still being held up by the wait for dairy cows to arrive from South Africa.

The multi-million Pula project, which was unveiled nearly five years ago, is a partnership between Milk Afric Company, a private company which originates from the United States of America, and Botswana Development Corporation (BDC).

“Construction component of the project is 100 per cent complete. However, the dairy cattle have not yet arrived due to foot and mouth disease outbreak in South Africa,” Lobatse mayor, Ms Malebogo Kruger briefed councilors in a full council meeting on Wednesday.

According to Ms Kruger, the dairy cows were purchased early this year, but their transportation stalled since March because of the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in South Africa.

The project when operational is envisaged to have around 2 000 dairy cows, with each cow producing around 20 liters of milk per day.

This is expected to significantly increase milk production in the country.

Statistics from the ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, indicate that Botswana at the moment produces around nine million litres per annum, which is just 15 per cent of its annual milk demand.

The ministry indicates that Botswana needs around 65 million litres of milk per annum.

The ministry points that the low production is caused by the fact that the country currently has a small dairy head of about 4 000 cows.

Apart from increasing milk production in the country, the Milk Afric Dairy Project is also expected to create significant employment opportunities in Lobatse. ENDS