21 Feb 2021

Serowe Dairy Milk Plant has not been operational since 2013 due to low milk production from famers in the district.

Addresing Serowe sub-district councillors, chairperson of Serowe Milk Marketing Association (SMMA), Mr Meshack Matshabane said lack of maintenance led to its closure. He said the plant had a mechanical breakdown that could not be addressed by the association alone and this contributed to its closure.

Mr Matshabane was addressing councillor touring the plant on Friday to appreciate challenges that led to its closure.

He  said the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food security constructed the plant in 2010 at a cost of P8.5 million and started operating in 2011.

He said this was after dairy farmers in the Central District complained that there was no market for their produce.

The plant was meant to process milk from dairy farmers in Tswapong, Palapye, Serowe and Mahalapye areas.

The government has 95 percent shares while members of the community has five percent.

However, Mr Matshabane said SMMA intended to increase its daily milk production from an ambitious 8 000 litres per day  and beyond if the plant could be maintained as soon as possible.

“We hope the government would assist us to restart the plant in the next few months. We are also talking to farmers who currently supply us with milk to expand to meet our projected target,” he noted

The dairy plant was selling its milk mainly to the government and people within the Central District.

SMMA wanted to expand because their desire was to sell milk to other regions across the country.

According to Mr Matshabane the plant employed four people but its aim was to expand and create more jobs for people in the region.

Serowe sub-district crop production coordinator, Ms Tsholofelo Mukama told BOPA that the the plant produce 1 000 litres of milk per hour, which translate to 8 000 litres per day.

She explained that the plant had long been overdue for maintenance. She said the plant had milk processing machines such as the receiving tank, cooling tank, pasteurizer, bottling machine, standby generator and a separator.

Ms Mukama said her department was concerned about youth who were not interested in milk production.

She said elders were the ones willing to process and produce milk.

Serowe sub district council chairperson, Mr Lesedi Phuthego said the intention of government was to reduce the importation of milk from other countries, which he said cost the government a lot of money.

He encouraged farmers committees in the entire central district to supply milk to the plant. ENDS