Milk Producers’ Organisation: Research will improve the industry 

Empowering small-scale dairy farmers across the rural-urban divide is the way forward

The premier organisation representing dairy farmers around the country looks to the University of Fort Hare’s (UFH) newly launched AngloGold Ashanti Research Chair in Dairy Science & Technology as a way to solve practical problems through innovative research. 

The Milk Producers’ Organisation (MPO) is a voluntary organisation, funded by contributions, that focuses on making the South African dairy industry more profitable, sustainable and competitive. 

“There are about 880 dairy farmers left in South Africa,” said MPO’s CEO Fanie Ferreira. “They produce about nine million litres of milk a day, and we represent them on basically all levels.“

The MPO represents dairy farmers’ needs and concerns in matters concerning the government and institutions such as the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa and the National Animal Health Forum. “Whatever comes up day-to-day in the needs of the farmers and they need to be represented — that is our job.” 

For instance, during the recent Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak, the MPO stepped in to help dairy farmers vaccinate their herds preventatively, despite the risks involved. It worked with the Department of Agriculture to make exceptions and interventions that protected the livelihoods of many in the industry. 

The MPO also has an agricultural economic desk that compiles weekly reports to help dairy producers understand micro- and macroeconomic factors, on a local and international level, that might affect them. 

The organisation’s in-house training facility offers a wide range of accredited training, on topics like artificial insemination and socioeconomic empowerment. “Even a very inexperienced farm worker who turns up on the farm and shows potential can go through training courses and can be eventually trained to run the whole dairy farm on his own,” Ferreira said. 

Unfortunately, the amount of dairy farmers in South Africa has shrunk significantly over the last decade, but Ferreira said those left in the industry are extremely efficient and professional. “It’s an enormous challenge that we have, and we’ve got a very unique primary industry,” Ferreira said. “If we compare it to the rest of the world, we are definitely leaders in many aspects.” 

Research for growth

The University of Fort Hare’s recent launch of the AngloGold Ashanti Research Chair in Dairy Science & Technology signifies a big step towards improved research and support for the dairy industry, which is likely to have a significant impact on the MPO and its members. 

The research chair is still in its infancy, but it has already received a sizable endowment, and Ferreira said there is exciting work that lies ahead.   

“We do know that it is a very necessary action, and that there’s a lot of things that need to be done that can be done on a primary level, regarding research development and transformation for upcoming and new black farmers, and so forth.”

Ferreira explained that South Africa has a highly sophisticated quality and range of dairy products on offer. “If you stand in front of a dairy shelf in one of our retailers in South Africa, you close your eyes and you open it, you might as well be in London or in New York, or in any highly developed country in the world.”

But there is a significant gap in milk products designed specifically for lower-income households. The MPO estimates that up to 30 million people in South Africa don’t use dairy products on a daily basis. Various research shows that even moderate amounts of milk in the diet of children can significantly benefit their development. “So once we can start competing on that level, there will be a huge amount of scope for growth, especially in the primary dairy industry,” Ferreira said.

This is a prime example of how research from UFH could develop and grow the local dairy industry. Currently, excess milk leads to producers cutting down on prices, because there appears to be no demand in the system. Developing stronger lower-income sector consumption would thus support both consumers and producers. 

Ferreira sees this as both one of the biggest challenges and opportunities in the current market, which he said has stagnated in the last few years. “If we can do that successfully, we will be able to perhaps double what we currently produce, but right now, we can only dream about that.”

Research for development

Another key area that research could affect in the dairy industry is development and transformation. This is a crucial issue in need of change in South Africa, but Ferreira said transformation initiatives need a significant push, which may be stimulated through research. 

“If we can show the industry out there that we are serious about transformation and developing new dairy farmers, I’m sure there are hundreds of millions of rands that will be available through different funding channels,” Ferreira said. “We just need to make a start.”

Other countries offer inspiration for how the dairy industry can empower small-scale farmers across the rural-urban divide and various demographics. Ferreira provided the example of India, where millions of people farm only a few cows each, resulting in the largest cumulative dairy production in the world.  

Kenya, Africa’s biggest per capita dairy-consuming nation, has a similar system. Families tend to keep the milk from the evening for themselves and sell what is milked in the morning. 

“There’s absolutely nothing in existence today in South Africa that supports such a system,” he said. “If we could start this on a small scale somewhere — and the Eastern Cape, I think, is a very good example of where it could work — it could be built from there.” 

Capacity to grow the industry

Another exciting possibility for growth comes in the form of UFH’s innovative BSc in Dairy Science and Technology, which will be the first degree of its kind in the country. Beyond this, UFH hopes to eventually establish a Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, with a particular focus on livestock. 

“We can never have enough vets, and we can never have enough qualified people in the dairy industry to take care of the needs of a growing industry,” Ferreira said. The recent problem of Foot and Mouth Disease in dairy herds showed the importance not only of veterinary professionals but knowledge of animal health more holistically. 

“We still need to do a lot of research on that and we still need a lot of help, especially in terms of getting people around the table and deciding how to handle this going forward, regarding vaccinations and a positive herd. There’s not enough written and talked about concerning all these dairy diseases, so enough veterinarians will always be handy.” 

Despite the challenges facing the dairy industry, those working to move it forward, like the Milk Producers’ Organisation, are hopeful and energetic about the future, particularly regarding the new developments at UFH. 

Ferreira said: “We are looking forward to working with this facility and we were very glad to know that it has been established, and that we can work together to overcome all these challenges.”