Times Of Swaziland: EMASI FOR ZONDLE

EMASI FOR ZONDLE
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BY JOSEPH ZULU  on 21/06/2019 03:40:00


PIGG’S PEAK – The daily diet of beans could soon be a thing of the past for
some schools.
The Eswatini Dairy Board, in collaboration with schools, has initiated a
programme of ensuring that schools have milk.
With the initiative, the Board will provide schools with dairy cows, which the
institutions can rear for milk production.
The Board’s Ndumiso Ngwenya said the initiative would help in the schools
feeding scheme.
Revealed
Ngwenya revealed this during a small business owners’ workshop, which was held
at the Pigg’s Peak Civic Centre.
When asked how many schools had been targeted for this project, Ngwenya said he
did not have the exact figures yet.
However, he said this would be a pilot project which will eventually be spread
to more schools.
He said the schools may use the milk to produce sour milk.
Ngwenya said this will be an alternative meal for the pupils who normally had
beans.
He further said the dairy cows would be at no cost to the schools but for the
programme to continue, the schools would be expected to give away the calves
born from the cows.
A similar initiative had worked for rural communities whereby some of them were
given dairy cows to use for milk production.
In some of the communities such as Emvembili, this system is still operational.
Parents who were interviewed on the new initiative said  this would be a great
option for schools.
“It is a great initiative,” said one parent, Nondumiso Dlamini.
She said this would also help schools to save money which could be used for more
initiatives to ensure that they were able to generate income.
Impressed
However, some of the dairy farmers did not seem impressed with the initiative,
adding that this would be competition for them.
“We have been selling milk to schools,” a farmer said.
He said selling the milk to factories in Matsapha was not profitable, adding
that their best buyers were ordinary members of the public or schools.
“If you go ahead with that initiative, you will be killing us,” said the
farmer.