Namutumba seeks contractor to run idle Shs100m milk cooler

Authorities in Namutumba District are looking for a contractor to run a Shs100 million milk cooler tank which has sat idle in Nakyere Village, Namutumba Sub-county for the past 17 years.

The 1,500-litre facility was a 2008/2009 financial year Presidential Initiative under the Community Agriculture Infrastructure Improvement Programme (CAIIP), aimed at adding value to milk after the government supplied heifers to model farmer groups in Busoga Sub-region.

However, it is rusting away following dairy farmers’ failure to produce adequate milk over the period, prompting the Secretary for Production in Nawaikona Sub-county, Ms Annet Batuvamu Neka, to suggest last month that it be relocated to Namutumba Town Council for proper use.

The District Internal Security Officer (DISO), Mr Fred Musoke, gave Namutumba Sub-county leadership a six-month ultimatum, ending in February next year, to have the milk cooler functioning, lest it be relocated to Bushenyi District which he said has higher milk yields.

The Namutumba Sub-county leadership has now convened a special council sitting to see how best to operationalise the milk cooler tank, and passed a resolution to get a contractor effective next month to oversee its functionality.

Mr Hakim Mabanda, a youth councilor, said that the more years the milk cooler stays without operating, the more it rusts away, hence their decision to find a contractor who will sign a performance-driven five year renewable Memorandum of Understanding with Namutumba Sub-county leadership.

“Besides boosting local revenue, unemployed youth will be employed to operate the cooler tank, while others will be hired as milk vendors,” Mr Mabanda said on Tuesday.

Namutumba Sub-county Vice Chairperson representing Kigalama Parish, Mr Azama Menya, however, said getting a contractor to supply the cooler tank with sufficient milk is the best alternative rather than relocating it to an urban centre or Bushenyi.

“Since dairy farmers failed to produce sufficient milk, what we are looking at now is to see that the milk cooler tank starts operating to boost local revenue,” Mr Menya said, adding that the Sub-county lacks a dairy farmers’ cooperative to oversee its operation.

“Imagine how much money the Sub-county has lost in local revenue for the last 17 years,” Mr Menya wondered.

Namutumba Sub-county Speaker, Mr Peter Musenero, encouraged farmers to start producing milk which they will sell to the contractor.

The Namutumba LC3 chairperson, Mr Samuel Gusango, said the milk cooler tank is one of the sources of revenue in the Sub-county and the more it lies idle, the more revenue the Sub-county loses.

He added: “The challenge now is getting a contractor; we have dairy farmers’ groups in the district, but convincing them to come and run the milk cooler tank in a rural area is becoming difficult, but the contractor will be ready to work in a rural area.”

The Diary Development Authority (DDA) Regional Manager for Eastern Region, Mr Nathan Magona Wadiya, said as the regulator and the authority tasked with spearheading dairy development, this Council resolution marks the beginning for all dairy actors in the district to be rallied to organise and grow the dairy sub-sector in the region.

The DDA is a government agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAIIF), that was established to develop and regulate the dairy industry in Uganda.

According to Mr Magona, utilisation of this cooler will streamlet milk production locally, create employment and boost revenues.

He added: “Once the facility is given to a private entity, preferably a dairy cooperative, this will mark the beginning of our transformation campaign towards increased milk production and productivity.

“DDA uses the model of facilitating and supporting dairy cooperatives to utilise dairy infrastructure for storage, processing, and marketing. This move by the council is welcomed by the authority, and we shall continue to support the process of acquiring a suitable stakeholder for this cooler.”

Mr Magona further pledged to work with the district to service, repair, and test run this equipment, adding that they have plans for breed improvement, encourage use of improved pasture seeds and skilling farmers on the profitable dairy farming practices.

“I urge all farmers in Namutumba to consider dairy as an alternative sustainable income generating activity for households in the district and the surrounding,” said Mr Magona.