Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /usr/www/users/urnnet/a/story.php on line 43 Milk Prices Soar in Ankole :: Uganda Radionetwork
In Ntungamo Municipality, a litre of milk goes for between 1000- 1300 Shillings, up from Shillings 800 - 1000. Medard Asiimwe, the manager at Fresh Milk Diary, says that a litre of milk on the farm has gone up to 750 from 470 Shillings in the last four months.
Milk prices in the Ankole sub region have gone up following a prolonged dry spell that hit the area.
In Ntungamo Municipality, a litre of milk goes for between 1000- 1300 Shillings, up from Shillings 800 - 1000.
Medard Asiimwe, the manager at Fresh Milk Diary told our reporter that the price is determined by the farm gate prices which have been going up steadily. He says that a litre of milk on the farm has gone up to 750 from 470 Shillings in the last four months.
Frolence Musinguzi, a farmer from Kabagyenda says the dry spell has resulted into shortage of feeds thus impacting on the productivity of the animals. She says that milk production at most of the farms has dropped by half.
Ellen Tukwasiibwe, a resident of Ntungamo has a family of seven and has been buying three litres of milk before the prices were hiked. She says that the family has now resorted to buying one litre for the young ones.
Dan Abesigye, the manager at Ntungamo Dairy Farmers Cooperative Union (NDAFCU), which is composed of over 30 milk collection centres spread across the district, says that the union's collections have dropped drastically from 60,000 litres to 33,000 litres daily.
In Mbarara Municipality, the prices have gone up from between 800 - 1,000 to between 1,200 - 1,500 Shillings per litre depending on where one buys the milk.
Frolence Musasizi, a milk dealer says that the drop in milk production has seen the prices go up with some of the locals opting to buy milk in small quantities for only children.
In Ibanda, a litre goes for shillings 1,300 up from 1,000 shillings. Sarah Mastiko, a worker at Inka Diaries, told URN that the dry spell has affected the farmers who have responded by hiking the prices of milk to improve their income.
//Cue in: “It is because there......
Cue out:....two hundred.”//
In Isingiro district, a litre of milk goes for shillings 1,400 up from between 800 - 1,000 shillings.
Hilary Twikirize, a resident of Mbare Sub County, which was hit hard by the dry spell, says that the farmers look at the milk as the only source of survival. He says that the cost of feeding animals is high which means that the prices must also be affected.
