Low milk prices temporary, Museveni assures farmers

President Museveni has asked farmers to continue with dairy production despite the low prices of milk.

Mr Museveni said the low prices of agricultural products, especially milk are temporary challenges and asked farmers not to give up.
He was speaking to a congregation at Nshwere Church of Uganda in Nyabushozi, Kiruhura District on Christmas.
Mr Museveni said many people have embraced dairy and commercial farming.

He asked farmers to continue with the surplus production, adding that it will be consumed by both local and international markets.
The farm gate price of a litre of milk in most parts of Kiruhura has been Shs300 in the last five months unlike one-and-half years back, where it was between Shs1,000 and Shs1,500 a litre.

“People (in this area) did not know that farming can make you wealthy. They would sell cows to get money to pay graduated tax, buy clothes for family members and buy some inputs. When we came, we taught them how rearing cows can be done as business; it’s better than (running) a shop and working in government,” Mr Museveni said.

“I want to thank you; you have woken up, we now have surplus; a lot of milk, bananas and maize. Don’t get discouraged on producing milk, the market is still there. The price going down is temporary, it will go up again, don’t give up,” he added.

Mr Museveni said in the past Uganda was importing processed milk and its products (powdered milk and butter) from Kenya but this changed following transformation in farming approach.

“We still need a lot of milk here and abroad. We still import milk for babies/children of the rich,” Mr Museveni said.

Mr Museveni said Kenya, which has been market for Uganda’s milk is currently producing a lot of milk because they received a lot of rain.
He advised farmers against keeping low milk-yielding cows because they incur losses in terms of feeding, spraying and treating them.

“I can’t keep a Friesian cow that can’t produce 20 litres of milk a day. I can’t allow it to remain in my farm, I sell it. Even our local breed (traditional cows), I can’t keep a cow that can’t produce nine litres a day, I can’t leave it in my farm,” Mr Museveni said.
Mr Museveni said because of careful selection he now has local breeds that produce 25 litres of milk a day.
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