Government has been asked to urgently address the issue of low pricing for Uganda’s dairy exports to enable farmers to benefit from their investments.
This is after Kenya’s president William Ruto recently boasted that Kenyans have turned to Uganda for cheaper milk for consumption, while their farmers are reaping big from dairy exports after adding value.
Prof Frank Asiimwe, the Vice Chairperson of the Livestock Development Forum, also a consultant Urologist explains that Uganda’s milk only appears cheaper because of exploitation by middlemen, who must be done away with.
Statistics from the Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB) show that in 2021, Uganda exported $38.1 million in Milk, making it the 31st largest exporter of milk in the world.
In the same year, milk was the 7th most exported product in Uganda with main destinations being Kenya ($38.1 millon), Burundi ($11.7 thousand), and Rwanda ($2.26 thousand).
Meanwhile, Ugandan livestock farmers have also renewed calls for the elimination of middlemen in the dairy business to ensure safety of milk on the market.
Prof Asiimwe is particularly concerned that some of the milk is contaminated during transportation by the middlemen, posing a serious health risk to the consumers.
He proposes that to address this problem, farmers should be supported through strong cooperatives to have milking machines and pasteurize the milk on the farm.
