Dairy sector discuss strategies to increase milk consumption

Dairy sector players agree that improving productivity at farm level will in turn boost milk consumption at national level. File Photo

Key players in the dairy sector met last week to discuss strategies to promote consumption of milk and its products.
The two-day event, held September 16-17, consisted of a conference as well as an exhibition to showcase the products and related services. The theme was “Drink milk for good health”.
The second national dairy event, which attracted more than 150 participants, had several objectives: To sensitise the public on the benefits of milk and other dairy products and share strategies for promoting milk consumption.
It was also to advocate for policies and provide a platform for networking, partnerships and opportunities.

Issues raised
“The event has had an impact because I have been able to interact and network with different stakeholders as well as fellow famers,” noted one of the participants, Samuel Wakinya, a dairy farmer in Bududa District.
He has three cows, each producing 15 litres a day. He cites the problem of diseases, inadequate feeds and little knowledge on good milk production as the main hindrances to producing quality milk.
His cows produce 30 litres of milk each in the rainy seasons and about 15 litres each in the dry seasons. This is due to lack of pastures or feeds. However, Wakinya intends to improve his farm for better results given the knowledge acquired from the event.

“Many dairy farmers have raised issues like low income levels where people cannot afford to buy milk. It is sometimes low quality milk that doesn’t suit the market,” noted Sylvia Natukunda, agribusiness linkage facilitator, AgriProFocus Uganda. “There is also need for coordination in the sector where processors lack a universal message that promotes consumption of milk; instead, they promote specific brands.”
“Also, the need to condense the Value Added Tax (VAT) on the milk production machines to reduce the cost of the end product,” she added.

In order to increase the production of milk, Dr Sarah Mubiru, an agricultural advisor, Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), said that the organisation provides dairy farmers in cooperatives with training on how to make silage and hay (animal feeds for the dry season), supplies them with feeds, drugs and pasture grass seeds.
“We also link farmers to milk processors and service providers like veterinary doctors and artificial insemination technicians to prevent diseases and also get quality milk that suits the market demand,” she noted.

Increase consumption
Research by Dairy Development Authority (DDA) indicates that although the dairy sector continues to grow at an annual rate of three per cent, the annual milk consumption remains low at 60 litres per person compared to that of Kenya, which stands at 100 litres per person.
This means that it is still way below the recommended annual consumption rate of 200 litres per person.
Compared to the previous event, the 2015 dairy event focused on increasing milk consumption with an emphasis of maintaining good health.

The event was organised by AgriProFocus Uganda, in conjunction with DDA, Send a Cow Uganda, Heifer International/EADD1, SNV and Renaissance Livestock Network.
The participants were from the general public, dairy organisations and cooperatives, service providers, financial institutions, agro-input dealers, traders, processors, distributors, private and public sectors, academia, and NGOs in dairy sector.