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New Shs56b dairy project set to create 5,000 jobs
Mr Punit Pruthi, the managing director Amos Dairies (R), inspects the new plant being constructed in Kiruhura District last week. PHOTO BY RAJAB MUKOMBOZI
What you need to know:
Establishment expected to create more than 5,000 jobs
Kiruhura- A new dairy firm, Amos Dairies, is set to open up opportunities for residents of Kiruhura and the surrounding districts in addition to boosting foreign exchange earnings to the country when it begins operations in the next two months.
Mr Punt Pruthi, the managing director of the firm, said they are now winding up construction works of their $22 million (about Shs55.8 billion) plant which began April last year at Akageti, Sanga in Kiruhura District.
He said this will be a lucrative venture to the people of Uganda especially the South Western region in terms of employment, setting competitive prices for their milk and earning the country the much needed foreign exchange.
Mr Pruthi added that Uganda will benefit a lot in foreign earnings because they are mainly going to produce for export.
He said the factory would begin with a production capacity of 400,000 litres a day but this will be increased to two million litres a day.
“The challenge now remains for the farmers in the region to exploit this market because we are determined to take as much milk as they can give us, and at competitive prices,” Mr Pruthi added.
Apart from providing market for milk, Mr Pruthi said they will in future offer extension services like animal nutrition for increased production.
He appealed to farmers to practice better farming methods and noted that dairy farming should be conducted like any other business that requires planning, budgeting, book-keeping among others.
Retired Col Dick Bugingo, one of the prominent farmers in Kiruhura, said the establishment of the factory is an opportunity for their milk to fetch better prices.
Some of the products Amos Dairies is expected to produce include anhydrous milk fat which is used in bakeries and confectioneries, ghee, casein and whey.
Mr Pruthi said they have already signed an agreement with Elie Foods in the United States to buy their products.
