Zim targets 200m litre milk output
STAFF WRITER
Zimbabwe has set an ambitious target to ramp up milk production to 200m litres by 2030, up from the current 155m litres, under a new five-year agricultural blueprint designed to boost output and accelerate export earnings, Business Times can report.
The Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 (AFSRTS 2), running from 2026 to 2030, is positioned as a key implementation framework for delivering Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr Anxious Masuka, said the dairy sector must scale up production to take advantage of intra-African trade opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“Zimbabwe’s milk production has been on an upward trajectory, with raw milk output reaching 155 million litres in 2025, a 129% increase since 2017, and a clear pathway to full self-sufficiency from 2026,” Masuka said.
“This momentum is anchored on AFSRTS 2, which is targeting over 200 million litres by 2030.”
He urged stakeholders to take bold steps to reduce Africa’s estimated US$3 billion dairy import bill, highlighting the need to cut production costs, secure feed supply, invest in infrastructure, and deepen market integration under AfCFTA.
“Zimbabwe’s trajectory offers a blueprint for the continent — moving from import dependency to self-sufficiency and regional trade integration,” he said.
Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Professor Obert Jiri, acknowledged persistent constraints in the sector, including high feed costs, cold chain limitations, and animal health challenges, but said targeted interventions were already in motion.
These include expanding on-farm feed production, strengthening mechanisation and irrigation, improving dairy breeds through artificial insemination, and scaling up local vaccine production.
Jiri also revealed that a review of the Dairy Act is underway to align the sector with evolving production realities and market demands.
“Agricultural transformation requires coordinated action across sectors. AFSRTS 2 adopts systems thinking, spatial and value chain targeting, and a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” he said.
