Uganda will start exporting milk products to Algeria in October this year following the completion of the procurement processes between the two countries.
This was revealed by the Executive Director of the Dairy Development Authority (DDA), Mr Samson Akankiza, at the opening of the 16th African Dairy Conference in Kampala on Monday, September 11, 2023.
Akankiza said as part of the agreement signed with Algeria in March this year, they are supposed to export 1.4 billion litres for the first quota.
He said the exporters are Amos Diaries, Brookside Diaries, and Pearl Diaries.
“Since on one side, it is the government buying, and on this side, it is the private companies selling, there was a need to go through the country’s procurement procedures, which all three of our major suppliers have completed,” Mr Akankiza explained.
The development will come as a relief to Uganda, which produces 4 billion litres of milk annually but the sector lacks a reliable market both domestically and outside the country’s borders.
The 16th African Dairy Conference and Exhibition is meant to showcase the opportunities for dairy investment in Africa. It also intends to strategize on the promotion of domestic milk consumption.
Peter Ngaruiya, the Executive Director of the Eastern and Southern African Dairy Association (ESADA), said the protectionist tendencies of most of the governments in the region are a technical barrier to milk trade.
Frank Tumwebaze, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries said “H. E Kaguta Museveni has given us a target of producing 20 billion litres of milk…we can only be able to achieve this through climate smart agriculture.”
Khadija Nakakande, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) spokesperson, urged Ugandans to embrace milk consumption as a way of supporting fellow Ugandans.
“The government has so far injected over 70 billion shillings in the dairy sector through milk coolers, to improve storage, crossbreed animals for improved production, tractors to farm animal feeds. She adds that they have also supported the establishment of five value additional factories and two more are on the way, and this will total them to seven,” she said.
Uganda’s domestic milk consumption stands at 64 liters per capita annually, which is very low compared to the UN-recommended 200 per capita.