The government of Malawi has conceded that the country’s dairy farming is facing numerous challenges that are paralyzing its growth.

Malawi’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Mr. Ulemu Chilapondwa said this during the establishment of Trilateral Academic Partnership in Dairy Value Chain, a project to be implemented with expertise from three universities in Malawi, India and United States of America.

Among others according to Mr. Chilapondwa, is the lack of technical-know-how among farmers.

“Another key challenges is that dairy farmers are being offered poor prices for their raw milk,” said  Chilapondwa.

He said government has since moved in by engaging companies that purchase raw milk to consider raising prices.

“Poor prices and lack of expertise among farmers are some of the setbacks of dairy farming in Malawi,” he said.

However Chilapondwa hailed the establishment of Trilateral Academic Partnership in Dairy Value Chain which will see an introduction of a certificate program in dairy value chain management at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and National Resources (LUANAR).

The training program is expected to equip the needed expertise in the industry.

LUANAR has launched the program with funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

LUANAR is partnering with Michigan State University and India’s Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) to design the curriculum and implement pilot projects to test the appropriateness of new technologies in dairy production from India for implementation in Malawi.

In her remarks US Ambassador to Malawi Jeanine Jackson said the program will complement US Government’s global hunger and food security initiative dubbed ‘Feed the Future’ being carried out to support agricultural development and improved nutrition in Malawi.

The Trilateral Academic Partnership in Dairy Value Chain program is expected to bring an impact in dairy production industry in Malawi within a decade.