Uvhungu-Vhungu to be revamped

THE Uvhungu-Vhungu dairy farm on the eastern outskirts of Rundu will be rebuilt over a 24-month period starting this year.

Dairy processing equipment in the dairy section of the Uvhungu-Vhungu irrigation farm is showing signs of deterioration. When Nampa visited the farm last week, the decline was visible in areas like the milking parlour and the animal kraal.The farm was closed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry in November 2009, resulting in the suspension of the supply of fresh and cultured milk, butter and cream to hospitals and two schools in the Kavango Region after the cows used on the farm were moved to the Mashare Agricultural Development Institute (MADI).The 150 cows were moved because they were dying of neglect, and also in order to make way for the upgrading of the farm. The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry has budgeted an amount of N$100 million over a three-year period for the development of the dairy farm. The ministr’s Permanent Secretary, Joseph Iita said in a media statement issued to Nampa on Tuesday that when the project was transferred to the ministry, it was observed that the technology there had become obsolete. As a result, the ministry contracted the JWE Consulting Engineering Company to carry out a feasibility study and subsequent re-design of the dairy farm.The findings of that study, according to Iita, was that the dairy farm lacked dairy quality control such as food safety, and had outdated and dilapidated infrastructure which rendered the production of milk uneconomical.The study further noted that the cows were old and needed to be replaced, while poor water quality and control in the factory and dairy parlour was observed.There was also a serious potential of water pollution by cattle manure in case of flooding. Iita indicated that the de-bushing work covering a total area of 280 hectares where the new dairy farm will be built was completed last year, while the tender for the fencing off of the farm was approved and is currently running in the local newspapers. The PS noted that the upgrading of the dairy section will include the extension of the existing irrigation area to be able to irrigate 142 hectares for fodder production.’The Ministry of Agriculture remains committed to ensuring the successful completion of the dairy farm within the next two financial years and will continue to intensify interventions towards achieving objectives of agriculture productivity and food security as outlined in Vision 2030,’ said the Agriculture PS. The ministry’s development plan is divided in three phases – phase one is the feasibility study and design, phase two is the construction, and phase three is the implementation of the management structure of the project and procurement of heifers.Once completed, the farm will have two distinct production areas – the dairy farm and a crop production section.The new milking complex will consist of a milking parlour, cow and calf housing, feeding station, and manure handling facilities. Since the closure of the dairy farm, residents in the vicinity of the dairy farm are feeling the pinch, as they were left with no choice but to walk about 10 kilometres to Rundu to purchase milk. Before the closure, the dairy cows’ production had declined, and they delivered only between 265 to 300 litres of milk per day, far less than the 1 000 litres of milk consumed per day in the region.The Uvhungu-Vhungu irrigation project made headlines on several occasions last year, amidst claims of poor production and management problems. – Nampa