Uganda to export milk, coffee to Nigeria

Uganda is set to start exporting coffee and milk to Uganda.

This was revealed as  Olesegun Obasanjo, the former President of Nigeria paid a courtesy call on President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Museveni also took Obasanjo on a tour to Pearl Dairy Farms Limited in Mbarara City and later joined Kiruhura and Kazo farmers at Kaaro in Kiruhura District.

Obasanjo, was pleased to learn that Uganda can produce 5.7 billion litres of milk per year and assured President Museveni and farmers of Kiruhura and Kazo districts that Nigeria is willing to buy Ugandan Processed milk and coffee.

“I am here to see how Nigeria can buy Ugandan milk, expand production of processed milk and coffee,” he said.

Obasanjo noted that the problem with Africa is that most Africans do not know their problems, noting that Nigeria has been importing milk from Europe yet Uganda has enough of it.

“It’s just recently that I found out that Uganda is the net exporter of milk in Africa,” he said.

On his part, President Museveni thanked Obasanjo for coming to Uganda and allowing to partner with Uganda to buy Ugandan milk and coffee.

He promised him that Uganda has the capacity to produce enough milk for the local and international market.

President Museveni, who was in the company of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports,  Janet Kataha Museveni also commissioned the upgraded Nshwere Church of Uganda which was refurbished and expanded by Tororo Cement Company Limited.

President Museveni cautioned farmers about free range grazing and requested them to adopt zero grazing, plant silage if they want to get good profits from their farms.

He also advised families to have businesses by registering them as companies instead of dividing family property.

He told farmers that they should be aware that they are not only producing for Uganda alone but also for the whole of Africa.

Bright Rwamirama, the Minister of State for Animal Industry noted that Uganda’s export value is now USD 264.5 million

He also informed the farmers of the government's plan to kill ticks in order to increase milk production with  the tick vaccine is in  advanced stages to be effective.

Uganda has in the past years been sourcing different markets for its milk.

For example Algeria accepted to import Ugandan milk.