First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe has embarked on value addition of her dairy project in Mazowe, a development that is expected to create more jobs for the community.

A state-of-the-art plant has been installed at Alpha Omega Dairy, popularly known as Gushungo Dairy, for production of various dairy products such as fresh milk, ice cream, yoghurt, juices and mineral water.

The plant, to be commissioned early next month, will see the products being sold in Harare and Chitungwiza by several street vendors that have since been contracted.

Zambian First Lady, Dr Christine Kaseba toured the plant on Thursday last week.

But Amai Mugabe said the path to setting up the project was bumpy.

She said the project was almost derailed when the money she had in Zimbabwe dollars in her bank account to buy the plant was demonetised following the embracing of the multi-currency system.

“I almost gave up because when the machine was supposed to be brought from South Africa that was the time we started using multi-currency,” said Amai Mugabe.

“I had no money in the bank because what I had in the bank had been wiped out overnight, so I could not continue.

“I had to sit down with my husband . . . So it’s there because of the President’s assistance.”

Amai Mugabe said she was encouraged by President Mugabe who had a passion for the dairy project.

“A dairy project is one of the most complex entities,” she said.

“I decided that I was going into dairy farming because my husband was so fond of it. I decided that I am just going to do it for him.

“The structures were not proper, not commensurate with doing dairy, so I decided that I will put up a new parlour, it’s there now and operational.”

The First Lady said over the years, they have been supplying their milk to Dairibord but the price they were getting was not competitive.

“You know we are not talking about charity work here but its business,” she said.

“So, if it is a business you must be able to make profit so that we are able to look after our people in terms of remuneration, in terms of other future developments.”

It was after considering such issues as the uncompetitiveness of the prices offered by Dairibord that Ami Mugabe thought of acquiring her own plant for value addition.

Alpha Omega general manager, Mr Stanley Nhari told Dr Kaseba that they were producing 80 000 litres per the cumulative 16 hours per day.

“We are milking about 300 cows, but we anticipate that we will be milking 600 cows by January next year,” he said.

“We have just done an inducement for them to go on heat and do artificial insemmination instead of us waiting for the normal cycle.”

The total herd of cows at the dairy farm stands at about 1 300, said Mr Nhari.

He said they would, upon the commissioning of the factory plant, begin processing their milk and sell it in Harare and Chitungwiza, for a start.

They have since identified brand names for the several dairy products that they would be selling.