The dairy processing industry in Uganda is young, rapidly growing, and vibrant.
Economic impact
It was first estimated that livestock contributed 1.7 percent to total national GDP in 2009. That estimate was later revised to about 3.2 percent.
By 2014, that contribution had risen to 9 percent of national GDP.
The cattle kept are predominantly indigenous breeds, accustomed to the weather and husbandry practices as practiced by the herder communities, conditions that many exotic breeds could not withstand. Exotic breeds have been introduced, but the majority of farms have mixed breeds, whose productivity, although higher than the traditional breeds, does not match that of the exotics.
Current
According to the government
Dairy Development Authority
The Dairy Development Authority (DDA) is a government of Uganda, government agency of Uganda, responsible for the provision of dairy development and regulatory services to promote increased, sustainable milk production and consumption and the atta ...
(DDA), in October 2018, annual national milk output stood at 2.2 billion liters,
up from 1.8 billion liters annually, as of July 2012.
As of 2017, per capita milk consumption in Uganda stood at 62 liters, up from 25 liters in 1986.
80 percent of the milk produced is marketed while 20 percent is consumed by the farming households.
33 percent of the marketed milk is processed, while 67 percent is sold as raw milk.
By June 2019, annual milk production in the country had risen to 2.4 billion liters, with export earnings from the sector, bringing in US$100 million per year. However, the earning potential could increase to US$500 million annually, if the country would control the high death rates in exotic cattle, attributable to tick-borne diseases, and resistance of the ticks to available
acaricide
Acaricides are pesticides that kill members of the arachnid subclass ''Acari'', which includes ticks and mites.
Acaricides are used both in medicine and agriculture, although the desired selective toxicity differs between the two fields.
Termino ...
s.
As of December 2021, the country produced 2.81 billion liters of milk annually. 800 million liters were consumed within Uganda, with over 2 billion liters available for export annually. During the 2019/2020 financial year, Uganda earned US$131.5 million, from milk exports.
As of December 2022, according to the
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
(FAO), as reported by the
Daily Monitor
The ''Daily Monitor'' is a Ugandan independent daily newspaper. Its name is shared by the ''Saturday Monitor'' and ''Sunday Monitor'', which are also published by Monitor Publications Limited. ''Daily Monitor'' averaged a daily circulation of 24,2 ...
, Uganda's annual milk output amounted to 3.2 billion liters.
Dairy farming is a major activity in the southwestern, central, and northeastern parts of the country, with the sector contributing significantly to the economic, nutritional, and employment opportunities of the rural communities in those areas. Uganda's
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
Regions account for about 50 percent of national milk production. This production is predictable and available all year round. During the dry season, the northern, northeastern, and eastern parts of the country experience a drastic reduction in milk output.
Regulatory environment
In 1998, the
Ugandan Parliament promulgated the Dairy Industry Act, which created the
Dairy Development Authority
The Dairy Development Authority (DDA) is a government of Uganda, government agency of Uganda, responsible for the provision of dairy development and regulatory services to promote increased, sustainable milk production and consumption and the atta ...
(DDA), the new industry regulator. DDA started its operations in 2000. The erstwhile national monopoly known as the National Dairy Corporation was privatized in 2006
as part of
Brookside Dairy Limited
Brookside Dairy Limited, often referred to as Brookside Dairies, is a dairy processing company in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The company offers fresh pasteurized milk, cream, butter, yogurt, ghee, and long life mi ...
from
Kenya
)
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. The Ugandan government maintains a minority shareholding.
Major milk processors
From 1993 to 2006, fifteen medium to large scale processing plants were licensed. As of August 2017, total national installed capacity was about 1,400,000 liters per day. The major milk processing companies in Uganda included the following:
#
Brookside Dairy Limited
Brookside Dairy Limited, often referred to as Brookside Dairies, is a dairy processing company in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The company offers fresh pasteurized milk, cream, butter, yogurt, ghee, and long life mi ...
#
Jesa Farm Dairy
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Pearl Dairy Farms Limited
#
Amos Dairies Uganda Limited
Amos Dairies Uganda Limited, also Amos Dairies, is a dairy processing company in Uganda. It is a subsidiary of Amos Dairies Limited, an Indian company with headquarters in New Delhi, India.
Location
The head office and factory of Amos Dairies ...
#
Paramount Dairies Limited
Paramount Dairies Limited (PDL), often referred to as Paramount Dairies, is a dairy processing company in Uganda. PDL is a leading manufacturer of Cheddar and Gouda cheeses in Uganda. In 2013, the Daily Monitor newspaper named this company amo ...
#
GBK Dairy Products Limited
GBK Dairy Products Limited, often referred to as GBK Dairy, is a dairy processing company in Uganda.
Location
The head office and factory of GBK Dairy Products Limited are located at 70–80 Mbarara–Kabale Road, in the central business di ...
#
Lakeside Dairy Limited
Lakeside Dairy Limited (LDL), is a dairy processing company located in Mbarara, Uganda.
Location
The head office and factory of LDL is located in the city of Mbarara, approximately , by road, southwest of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest ...
# Dairyman's Cheese
#
Vital Tomosi Dairy Limited
Vital Tomosi Dairy Limited is a dairy processing company in Uganda. The company is a joint venture between ''Vital Capital Fund'', "an impact investing fund primarily focused on Sub-Saharan Africa", and "Tomosi Dairy Farms, a Ugandan producer o ...
The international market
, according to
The EastAfrican
''The EastAfrican'' is a weekly newspaper published in Kenya by the Nation Media Group, which also publishes Kenya's national '' Daily Nation''. The ''EastAfrican'' is circulated in Kenya and the other countries of the African Great Lakes
T ...
, Uganda's dairy products are marketed to a number of countries including
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
,
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,
Kenya
)
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, capital = Nairobi
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,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
among others. In addition,
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
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was in the process of negotiating the purchase of 1.4 billion liters of milk annually from Uganda.
Other destination markets for Uganda's milk products include
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
and
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
.
As of December 2023, Uganda was actively negotiating with
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
and
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
to see if any one of them would consider buying Uganda's milk.
References
{{reflist
External links
Uganda milk exports make good inroads into KenyaOpportunities and challenges in Uganda's dairy industry
Agriculture in Uganda
Dairy products companies of Uganda
Dairy industry
Industry in Uganda