Uganda Dairy Development Authority has indicated that milk production has increased from 2.08 billion litres in 2015 to about 2.5 billion litres in 2017/18. This is higher than the total milk production in Kenya during the same period by over 1.96 billion litres.
According to Kenyan Economic Survey 2018 report, the quantity of milk delivered to dairy processors recorded a significant drop of 17.4 per cent from 648.2 million litres in 2016 to 535.7 million litres in 2017, after posting consistent growths in the previous years.
The increase in milk production in Uganda has been spurred by the government’s increased investment in the sector reducing post-harvest milk losses through rehabilitation of Milk Collection Centers (MCC’s), enhancing milk value addition and access to milk and milk products’ markets.
According to the Uganda Dairy Development Authority the initiatives have resulted into tremendous dairy subsector growth at a current rate of eight per cent per annum. Growth has been, and continues to be registered in milk production, milk collection and transportation, milk processing.
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Uganda’s Milk Collection, Transportation, Marketing and Processing compared to Kenya
Ugandan dairy farmers have been supported to form dairy cooperatives and benefit from economies of scale and increased market access. Currently, there are 219 Primary Dairy Farmers’ Cooperative Societies and 11 Dairy Farmers Unions across in Uganda as compared to about 278 registered dairy cooperatives societies for small-scale farmers in Kenya.
Uganda has 100 operational milk processing companies (large scale, medium scale, small scale and cottages) with a total installed capacity of 2.7 million litres per day. Products currently processed include; milk powder, UHT Milk, Pasteurized Milk, Yoghurt, Butter, Ice Cream, Cheese, Ghee, Casein.
In Kenya, there are about 40 dairies are actively producing and availing their products through the normal retail channels in a significant manner.
Latest figures show that there are four big dairies processing above 100,000 litres per day. These dairies include Brookside, New KCC, Sameer Agriculture & Livestock and Githunguri Dairy Co-operative Society.
Other medium level dairies processing less than this amount but with a significant intake include Kinangop, Meru Dairy Cooperative Society, and Kabianga Dairy. Smaller specialist dairies include Bio Food Products, Razco Ltd, Raka Cheese, Brown’s Cheese and Alpha Dairy.
Despise all these, the quantity of processed milk and cream from processing plants in Kenya decreased by 8.5 per cent and that of butter and ghee declined by 22.0 per cent. Production of cheese however, increased from 311.2 tonnes in 2016 to 338.3 tonnes in 2017 as per the Economic Survey 2018 report.