DAIRY PRODUCTS IMPORTS DOWN 37.4 %

MBABANE – During the five-month period from April until August, the country recorded a decline in dairy imports amounting to 37.4 per cent, when compared to the same period last year.

The overall imports from April until August amounted to 8 674 069.40 Kilograms/Litre (Kg/L) while in the same period last year imports amounted to 13 859 683.70 Kg/L. According to recent statistics of dairy imports from the Eswatini Dairy Board (EDB), some of the leading dairy products imported during this period included UHT milk, margarine and yoghurt.
According to EDB Dairy Development Manager Bandile Mdluli, the decline was mostly attributed to the outbreak of FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease) in Eastern Cape, South Africa which is one of the major suppliers of dairy products to the country. “Most dairy products sourced from that area have been affected as a result,” said Mdluli.

He said it is, therefore, the reason the Board has since invested in increasing the capacity and number of local dairy processing plants, to improve the range of products produced locally including imported products. He said engagements with potential operators of these plants are still ongoing.Mdluli stated that, currently, the country has about 5 300 milking dairy animals which supply the local market, and they are yet to facilitate the full scale operation of all the local dairy processing plants and to meet the local milk demand. The country requires at least 15 000 productive dairy animals.

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