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President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has asked the Ministry of Finance to take new measures to help Uganda’s dairy industry compete favorably on the world stage.
He was responding to pleas for government support to the industry when Kiruhura district dairy farmers visited his country home in Rwakitura on Saturday.
He challenged dairy farmers on their part to form an association that will systematically deal with all issues affecting dairy farmers in Uganda.
I’m proposing a farmers’ association for all the farmers in the country. This way we shall be able to deal with all issues systematically.
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) May 8, 2016
“I don’t support taxing 18% per litre but we can agree to tax the income earned on the milk,” he said.
“You should form an association of knowledgeable dairy farmers who can compare Uganda’s dairy Industry with that of other countries in the world.”
He observed that in 1986 Uganda used to produce only 200 million litres of milk but production has since increased to 2 billion litres per annum.
The President said that milk production has been able to increase because people stopped nomadic farming, a practice that was spreading diseases among the animals. He proposed that farmers form an association that will systematically deal with all issues affecting dairy farmers in Uganda.
The dairy farmers requested the President to construct an animal feeds factory, provide their cooperative societies with tractors and machines that cut silage to ease their work and to speed up irrigation farming which will improve milk production.
Museveni recommended that the Ministry of Finance streamlines taxes in the dairy industry in a move to level the ground for dairy farmers in Uganda to favorably compete with dairy farmers from other countries.
President Museveni also warned farmers against land fragmentation and encouraged them to use rotational farming or paddock system so that their cattle can have pasture to feed on throughout the year.
“You must learn to grow grass like Hyperleria loofer, Dradelia, Prolyce Giana, Temla and grow sorghum and maize as cattle food to improve the quality and quantity of our milk,” he said.
The meeting was attended by the Minister for Agriculture Tress Bucyanayandi, the Minister for Livestock Bright Rwamirama and the Commissioner General Uganda Revenue Authority Doris Akol.
