Ambassador Eastham Visits Dairy Industry Project Sites

U.S. Ambassador Alan Eastham says he is very pleased with prospects for the smallholder dairy business in Malawi.  He was speaking in Lilongwe after inspecting the Lilongwe Dairy Processing Factory, Machite and Chitsanzo milk bulking groups on Monday, March 13. Ambassador Eastham led a delegation including Tom Verdoorn, Vice President of Land O’Lakes International Development; Curt Reintsma, USAID/Malawi Mission Director; Michael Keating, UN Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative; and Mazlan Jusoh, FAO Resident Representative.  The objective of the field visit was to ascertain the potential of dairy farming in Malawi as a means of improving rural livelihoods, alleviating poverty and ameliorating food insecurity. 

Speaking after inspecting project sites, Ambassador Eastham said the dairy industry in Malawi had good prospects.  “I’m very excited to see a cooperative group of people with some US support who are trying to make their lives better through milk production,” said Ambassador Eastham.   “There is a certain amount of cash that’s put in the beginning to buy the heifers, and Land O'Lakes will continue supporting the establishment of milk bulking cooperatives with USAID funding,” said Ambassador Eastham.  

Lilongwe Dairy is a recently established dairy processing facility owned by Lilongwe businessman Asif Karim, and is currently the primary dairy processor in the central milk shed.  Machite Milk Bulking Group has recently started a heifer loan scheme with cow procurement by Prosperity World Wide and technical assistance from Land O'Lakes and USAID.   Chitsanzo Milk Bulking Group has a fully-implemented heifer loan scheme, in which farmers promise to give the first offspring of their heifers back to the cooperative, so other farmers can also participate.  Land O’Lakes, in partnership with World Wide Sires (WWS), continues the development of the dairy sector in Malawi with support from USAID/Malawi Mission.