At least 20,000 dairy farmers in southwestern Uganda will benefit from a three-year initiative aimed at boosting the industry. The "Green Dairy Investment Program," organized by the International Livestock Research Institute and funded by aBi Development Limited, spans three years and costs 140 billion shillings (approximately $400 million). It will enhance milk production through climate-smart practices. Mr. Samson Akankiza Mpira, the Dairy Development and Production Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), told The New Vision last week in Kampala that the program will improve the productivity and competitiveness of dairy farmers in the sector. He noted that the government has currently set a target of $264 million in agricultural export revenues but emphasized that the country still needs to invest more in production and infrastructure to sustain growth in the dairy subsector. "From the perspective of farm-level infrastructure, there is still more work to be done. We need to increase production and productivity while ensuring competitiveness in the production chain, especially considering that investments in value-added areas are already substantial," he said.
