By Charlotte Kagumaho and Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KIRUHURA
Ugandan dairy farmers have been asked to emphasize on exported innovative solutions to add value on locally produced milk products.
The call was made by president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at a meeting with dairy farmers from the greater Kiruhura district on Wednesday January 3, at Karo Primary School in Nshwere, Kiruhura district.
He emphasized on the need to produce more casein and powdered milk for export to international markets. According to the president, processed milk products have great potential for longevity and better prices.
“Shifting focus from liquid milk to processed products for export is crucial. This is something that you must take seriously,” Museveni said.
He added that, “Liquid milk is heavy and very costly for exportation, but if you take time and process it into powdered milk, it becomes light and less expensive,”.
Uganda’s current milk production stands at five billion litres annually, but the President emphasised that exploring the international demand is essential.
“We need to meet the external market requirements. Liquid milk is heavy in nature and very costly for exportation but if you take time and process it into powdered milk, it becomes light and less expensive, this I can assure you,” he urged.
Farmers were also asked to embrace strategic changes, including zero grazing to address the frustrating challenges of land fragmentation in cattle corridors. This according to the president will enable high incomes within smaller land areas something that is critical to poverty alleviation.
