DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania has launched a 10-year, 231-million-U.S.-dollar project aimed at transforming the country's dairy sector and strengthening climate resilience, with more than 700,000 livestock keepers expected to benefit, an official said on Saturday.
The project seeks to increase milk production, improve market access and position the country as a net exporter of dairy products, said Stephen Michael, director of production and marketing development at the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.
Speaking at an international agricultural exhibition held in the capital of Dodoma, Michael said the project will promote improved cattle breeds, better access to water and pasture, and enhanced disease control.
"We aim to raise productivity and generate surplus milk for export," he said, adding that the project will also establish milk collection and transport systems linking farmers to processors, thereby reducing costs and minimizing post-harvest losses.
Tanzania currently produces about 4 billion liters of milk annually against a demand of 13 billion liters, with only 3 percent of the total output being processed, according to statistics from the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries. ■