President Museveni rallies Kiruhura & Kazo districts to embrace commercial dairy farming

UGANDA – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged residents of Kiruhura and Kazo districts to fully exploit their vast land for commercial dairy farming, saying the cattle corridor has the potential to become Uganda’s largest hub of milk-based wealth creation if farmers abandon free-range grazing and adopt intensive production systems.

Addressing thousands at Nyakasharara playground in Kiruhura District he praised the community for gradually shifting from nomadic livestock rearing to commercial dairy farming but insisted that greater transformation is still possible.

President Museveni underscored the inefficiency of free‑range grazing, noting that it leaves vast tracts of land underutilized.

On a square mile, he explained, farmers can only manage about 130 cows under traditional systems. By contrast, adopting zero-grazing methods would allow thousands of cows to be kept on the same land, dramatically increasing productivity.

Sustainable farming initiatives boost Uganda’s dairy sector

A transformative effort to enhance Uganda’s dairy industry is yielding significant results, improving livelihoods and strengthening food security across rural communities. 

Reported by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a partnership with Pearl Dairy Farmers Limited is empowering smallholder farmers through training, better market access, and sustainable practices, positioning Uganda as a key dairy exporter in East Africa.

In western Uganda’s Mbarara region, dairy farming is a cultural cornerstone, with long-horned cattle symbolizing both tradition and economic potential. 

However, many farmers have historically struggled to meet rising milk demand due to outdated techniques. Pearl Dairy, a leading milk processor, has stepped in to bridge this gap. 

According to the IFC, the company has trained over 10,000 farmers, including Joseph Nsereko, who doubled his farm’s daily milk output from 180 liters to over 360 liters. 

“The training changed everything for me,” Nsereko said. “I learned how to improve milk quality and increase production without needing more cows.”

The initiative focuses on sustainable practices, such as better cattle feeding and hygiene, aiming to raise productivity to 20-25 liters per cow daily, a benchmark for top-performing dairy regions. 

Pearl Dairy has also introduced financial incentives, including pre-negotiated loans for farm upgrades, timely payments, and new milk collection centers to ease logistics. 

A report by the IFC highlights that these efforts have created 150 direct jobs and are projected to increase farmers’ annual revenues by US$3 million by boosting milk output by 100,000 liters daily.

The dairy sector, contributing 6.5% to agricultural GDP, supports over 2.5 million households. Domestic milk production has grown from 2.08 billion liters in 2015 to 2.81 billion in 2021, with exports rising from US$131.5 million in 2018 to US$205 million in 2020.

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