Bright Rwamirama, the Minister of State for Animal Industry, has called for a rise in domestic milk consumption in Uganda. During a press conference at the Uganda Media Centre, Rwamirama emphasized the need to boost milk consumption, particularly among schoolchildren.
The country has faced challenges due to restrictions on dairy products by Kenya, its major milk export market. Rwamirama highlighted that Uganda produces more milk than it consumes and urged the country to surpass the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended per capita milk consumption of 200 litres.
According to the Dairy Development Authority (DDA), Uganda’s current milk consumption per capita is 62 litres. Rwamirama mentioned the impact of counterfeit drugs and acaricides on the dairy sector, leading to increased costs for farmers treating tick-borne diseases.
To address this, the government has initiated trials for an anti-tick vaccine developed by the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO). The vaccine is expected to be available for scaling up after successful trials, providing an effective solution for livestock farmers.
