Duration: 2010-2013
Budget: 500.000
Through this project Flanders aims to reinforce the dairy sector in the centre and north of Malawi.
Duration and budget
The project which is implemented by the Malawi Milk Producers Association will last 4 years. A total of 500,000 euros was earmarked for this.
Problem definition
The Malawi milk production is growing only gradually. Between 1980 and 2002, milk consumption rose by 40%. This is due to the population growth and the intensive food security campaigns that attach great importance to milk consumption. Unfortunately, the demand exceeds the supply. In Malawi, there are only 6,000 farmers with dairy cattle and they all have a low output. Too few investments are made and the cattle are given too little concentrated feed to be able to boost production. As a result, Malawi increasingly imports milk powder.
Most smallholder dairy farmers are situated around the three large cities in Malawi, namely Blantyre (south), Lilongwe (centre) and Mzuzu (north). Locally, the farmers are organised in associations that are called milk bulking groups. These groups have a cooling centre where farmers from the neighbourhood can store their milk in cooling tanks. Malawi has about 80 such milk bulking groups.
These groups are organised in regional milk producers' associations:
- in the south: SHIMPA (Shire Highlands Milk Producers Association)
- in the centre: CREMPA (Central Region Milk Producers Association)
- in the north: MDFA (Mpoto Dairy Farmers Association).
Nationally, they operate as the Malawi Milk Producers Association (MMPA). Thanks to its own revenues, SHIMPA succeeded in maintaining its position. Flanders wants to use the current project to copy this successful example to other associations.
Practical implementation
Through this project Flanders aims to reinforce the dairy sector in the centre and north of Malawi. The project will work around the following result areas for four years:
- Capacity building and training of farmers and milk bulking groups: this result area is aimed at the direct link between farmers and the milk bulking groups. The idea is to increase the low milk production through good training and management. New and existing farmers will be trained in marketing, hygiene and quality control.
- Enhancing the capacity of the associations: the personnel of the associations receive training in management and sustainability. This includes, among other things, general and financial management, the management of cooperatives, marketing, etc.
- Improving technical services: one of the important duties of the associations is to provide information to their members about animal welfare, nutrition, artificial insemination, barn construction, etc. Through the joint purchase of seeds by the regional association, farmers will have to pay less than if they would each purchase them individually. Thanks to this service, more members will join and farmers will change from informal dairy production to the formal sector.
- Increasing the number of cattle: the idea is to raise the number of cattle in the formal sector by giving training and finalising the registration system.
Partner
CREMPA, MDFA and MMPA
Katete Farm
Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO)