[Photo: FILE]
The dairy industry is facing a range of challenges, including declining cattle numbers, rising production costs, climate change and difficulties in rebuilding herds following major disease outbreaks.
Fiji Dairy Cooperative Limited Chief Executive Vimal Chand says the biggest challenge facing the industry is the ability of farmers to rebuild their cattle numbers.
He says disease outbreaks, including brucellosis and tuberculosis, resulted in the mass slaughter of cattle in 2009, significantly reducing Fiji’s dairy herd and milk production.
Chand says national milk production fell from about 10 million litres to around three million litres before gradually recovering to approximately six million litres.
He says Fiji is still producing only around 25 percent of national milk demand, with the remainder being supplied through imports.
The number of dairy farmers has also declined, falling from about 220 to around 180.
“Most of our farmers are smallholder farmers. Out of the 187 are bulk farmers who produce the majority of the milk.”
He says farmers are also dealing with rising feed, fuel and transportation costs, with feed alone accounting for around 50 percent of farm costs.
