17 Dec 2020

The Serowe Milk Processing Plant has not been operational since October this year due to poor management and conflicts between the association members.

This was said by the Assistant Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Ms Beauty Manake who told Parliament that the plant also had a mechanical breakdown which could not be addressed during the current problems engulfing the association.

She said the plant constructed by the agriculture ministry in 2010 at a cost of P11 million and started operating in 2011. The plant was meant to process milk from dairy farmers in Tswapong, Palapye, Serowe and Mahalapye areas.

Ms Manake said the plant was handed to the Serowe Milk Marketing Agricultural Management Association to run who were also trained on business management.

She explained that the capacity of the plant was 1 000 litres of milk per hour (8 000 litres per day) with the supply of milk obtained from the catchment of Serowe, Mahalapye and Palapye areas, although not adequate.

“Currently milk produced in the above-mentioned catchment area is 240 000 litres and the challenges are the inadequate supply of milk to the plant, poor management of both plant and dairy farms, shortage of dairy cattle feeds especially good quality roughage and shortage of dairy cattle,” she said.

Ms Manake further highlighted that funds amounting to P2 million have been secured to renovate the plant and procurement process had commenced.

“The ministry has facilitated reservation of tenders for the supply of milk to government institutions in Serowe and Palapye for the plant through the Economic Diversification Drive initiative. Training of farmers on the production of fodder in their farms has also been intensified,” she said.

She said the ministry had also subsidised the purchase of fodder seeds and seedlings through ISPAAD to enable dairy farmers to produce fodder in their farms.

In addition, she said farmers were encouraged to purchase dairy cows through a loan facility provided by the National Development Bank under the Economic Recovery and Transformation Programme (ERTP). “Female sexed semen is sold to dairy farmers at a subsidised rate to improve the quality and increase the dairy herd.

Shoshong MP, Mr Aubrey Lesaso had wanted an update on the status of the Serowe Milk Processing Plant, the challenges and initiatives available to address them.

He was also interested in the capacity of the plant, where the plant gets the supply of milk and whether the milk supply was adequate. ENDS