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Presently there are several Government arms that regulate the dairy industry making it difficult for new players to penetrate hence pushing them to the informal sector. Speaking at a workshop to review the Dairy Services Act, provincial environmental health officer for Matebeland South in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Conart Mpofu said informalisation of the dairy services posed a health threat to the public.

“We need to harmonise laws and bodies that regulate and monitor the sector to allow every player to come in the open,” he said. Through registration, the regulator will know where the dairy producers are and then monitor and enforce all the required standards.”
Mpofu said even without registration the small-scale dairy producers would still thrive.

“The informal players have identified their own market where they sell the milk under unhealthy conditions along the highways and other public places jeopardising public health,” Mpofu said.
Deputy director veterinary services in the ministry of Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Dr Chenjerai Njagu said it was important to ease registration requirements for dairy farmers.
“As it is now, to register dairy producers need to pay a lot of money which is beyond the reach of many especially the new indigenous players,” he said.

Dr Njagu said the registration process should not be rigorous. “The farmers are paying levies to too many government departments which will erode all their profits.”
Dairy producers are paying levies to the Environmental Management Authority, Dairy Services Department, Agriculture Marketing Authority, local authorities and Zimbabwe National Water Authority among others.

Addressing the same gathering an agricultural consultant Professor Ntombizakhe Mpofu said harmonisation would make the industry grow.
“A one stop shop will bring more milk producers to the limelight thereby improving the quality of milk and milk products in the country,” Mpofu said.
Prior to the land reform program in 2000 the dairy industry was dominated by white commercial farmers. – New Ziana