3,000 dairy farmers to get livestock handling skills

MBARARA. Dairy farmers from south western Uganda can now get answers for livestock related queries through a toll-free service that has been launched by Pearl Dairy Farms Limited, the producers of Lato milk.
According to the firm’s managing director Devendra Seth, farmers should take advantage of the service and get solutions for their livestock needs.
He was speaking during the opening ceremony of an intensive training programme for livestock farmers in Mbarara District last week.
Mr Seth hoped that the toll free number would help the agriculture scientists understand the problems faced by farmers closely.
“Farmers can get advice on specially cattle diseases, treatment schedule, effective treatment methods, effective prevention methods, vaccination, deworming, and dosage regime,” he explained.
He added: “Farmers can acquire knowledge on good management practices such as calf rearing; management of lactating cows, pasture or fodder cultivation and conservation, cattle shed plan, milk hygiene and quality.”
He was also optimistic that by partnering with Dairy Development Authority, more than 3,000 farmers grouped in cooperative societies will acquire skills to boost milk production.
According to Mr Seth, the first training of farmers, which was held in September attracted more than 100 small and large scale livestock farmers and these were acquired skills from a selected team of experts.
“The trainers do not only provide knowledge on selected topics, but they provide more knowledge on dairy management and there are slots for question and answer sessions, where farmers are given opportunities to get solutions for their dairy farming needs,” explained Mr Seth.