Hangavulu Dairy Farm leads Santo’s fresh milk production

April 29, 2026 10:25 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Bruce Tamata.

A young dairy farmer from Santo is turning his vision into daily production, with fresh milk now reaching local consumers.

Greg Tavoasese of Hangavulu Dairy Farm in the Canal Fanafo area has upgraded and remodelled his farm into an operating dairy unit with support from the Department of Livestock (DoL). He is the first farmer under the National Cattle Restocking Program to develop a dairy farm that produces milk meeting market requirements.

Now operating as a small-scale dairy producer, Hangavulu Dairy Farm supplies fresh milk approved by the DoL for sale in local markets.

It remains the only farm in Santo currently meeting the required standards for market supply.

Hangavulu Dairy milk is available daily through the SANMA DoL under the product name “Santo Milk”.

Mr. Tavoasese said his interest in the National Cattle Restocking Program was driven by a desire to gain knowledge to upgrade and diversify his farm.

The property already operated as a well-organised smallholder cattle farm, with fenced paddocks, pasture, and existing herds.

With these conditions in place, the DoL used the farm as a model site where farmers in the programme could take part in practical sessions during livestock clinics.

During these sessions, farmers worked together to construct a proper stockyard, which now supports dairy production on the farm.

Since then, Mr. Tavoasese has committed time and effort each morning to build the dairy operation.

In the first 11 months since the stockyard was established, the farm has produced between 10 and 15 litres of milk daily.

The farm manager said he is currently working with local breed cattle but plans to introduce dairy breeds to increase production.

“In the morning, the first task is milking the cows at the stockyard, and by 6:30am the milk is collected by the DoL for bottling and sale in town,” he said.

He said the department pays VT500 per litre, allowing him to earn at least VT5000 each morning from milk sales.

Mr. Tavoasese said he enjoys the work and aims to grow dairy production further. Plans include expanding into products such as cheese and butter.

He also plans to upgrade the farm to include a bottling facility, allowing milk to be processed directly on site for the local market.

Over the next five to ten years, he hopes to increase output, diversify production, and introduce delivery services.