By John V Sserwaniko
To their credit, the management of Makerere-based Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC) last week organized the National Forum on Agriculture & Food Security. The well attended event was held at Serena Conference Center where EPRC ED Dr. Sarah Sewanyana said this was the 8th time the annual event was being held.
Meant to coincide with a report on agro-industrialization that EPRC and the Finance Ministry had unveiled at Golf Course hotel a week earlier, this year’s theme was: “Upgrading the Dairy Value Chain for Sustainable Industrialization of the sub sector in Uganda.”
Milk was listed in the EPRC report on agro-industrialization as one of the commodities whose promotion must be prioritized by the GoU as the NDP III-aligned industrialization efforts are intensified in the next 5 years of development planning.
The Serena event was attended mostly by dairy farmers and scientists involved in carrying out related research. Public Research & Development institutions like NAGRIC & Heifer International were also heavily represented. There was also a powerful delegation from the Veterinary Association led by their President Dr. Baluka Sylivia Anguabua.
Dr. Patrick Birungi, who moderated the day’s sessions, announced participation of representatives from NARO, VEDCO, MAAIF, SNV, Mubs, Makerere University, Export Promotion Board, CSOs and Operation Wealth Creation led by Gen Charles Angina.
The Parliament of Uganda was represented by MPs Jovah Kamateeka and Veronica Nanyondo.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Sewanyana encouraged participants to freely speak their mind but cautioned them against extreme lamentation and hopelessness. Indeed dairy farmers rode on her words to speak their mind like never before having been assured there would be no reprisals.
BASHING DDA
Many freely gave their views highlighting ways in which government has let them down but Emmanuel Mwesiga Kyeishe, who chairs the association uniting dairy farmers in Kiruhura district, spoke out loudest.
Mwesiga specifically directed his anger at Dairy Development Authority (DDA) and MAAIF officials in general. Speaking immediately after Dr. Herbert Mutumba (who presented a paper on behalf of DDA), Mwesiga wondered why DDA wasn’t being abolished or its entire leadership overhauled for letting down farmers.
As he roared for close to 20 minutes, DDA regional managers like Dr. Egesa and Dr. Andrew Sekitoleko, who escorted Dr. Mutumba, uneasily turned in their seats.
CONTEXTUALIZING DDA ATTACK
Dr. Mutumba highlighted all the efforts DDA as a regulator had undertaken to ensure quality to overcome poor milk prices many farmers had complained about but shared a dilemma DDA faces in areas like greater North where he serves as inspection and quality assurance manager.
He said DDA efforts to enforce quality, including calling on farmers to invest in their dairy business in a manner that enhances productivity without necessarily increasing the number of cattle per holding, had largely been frustrated because in the Northern region the resultant milk doesn’t belong to the owner of the cattle.
That because of too much pride, cattle owners in Northern Uganda hire herdsmen from Western and other regions to look after the cattle and have the resultant milk as their payment. “The cattle owner only wants to see his cows multiplied and isn’t interested in things like planting pasture to improve breeds, yields and milk productivity per cow. He won’t invest in increasing milk production per cow because milk isn’t his yet even the herdsman can’t undertake such investment because he isn’t sure of having the job tomorrow,” Dr. Mutumba explained.
Speaking immediately after him, Mwesiga roared: “That exactly is the thing. The problem of the cow and milk being owned differently is also in the West and not just the North. Because of your failed sector leadership as DDA owning cows has become valueless. Our milk is so priceless and with no value. We have been reduced to mere price takers and slave farmers because as regulator you have let us down.”
Mwesiga demanded to know what prevents DDA from intervening to protect dairy farmers and milk producers by forcing all milk processors (who buy from farmers) to determine prices per liter based on quality “so that he who invests in productivity and has good quality milk gets the higher price than one producing poor quality milk.”
Dr. Mutumba had referred to a partnership between DDA and SNV to pilot the quality-based payment scheme in a selected few Western Uganda districts but Mwesiga rejected this as “escapism and mere lip service.” He maintained that DDA was, as ever, not being serious about anything. He said many farmers had invested in quality-boosting efforts and cow breeds but had been let down by very exploitative pricing which DDA as regulator had opted to do nothing about.
Mutumba’s pleaded that DDA’s hands were being tied by weak laws in force since colonial days but Mwesiga, who was cheered by majority in the audience, rejected all this as “business as usual.”
Mutumba explained that because of weak laws the penalties and fines available at their disposal are too light to have any significant deterrent effect. Mutumba agreed with earlier speakers that news of milk production/volumes increasing simply because of increased number of cattle wasn’t exciting as this can’t be sustainable given the limited availability or supply of land on which cattle is kept.
At highlighted in EPRC researcher Francis Mwesigye’s paper, consensus at the meeting was solution lies in increasing productivity and adopting exotic cattle breeds so as to increase milk volumes without necessarily increasing the number of cattle. Investors like those behind Jesa, Mega Milk, Milk Man, Brookside and others were commended for investing in value addition processes significantly contributing to the more than $78m Uganda earned from milk exports in 2017.
BACK TO MWESIGA
The fire-breathing Kiruhura farmer justified his anger against DDA by saying: “I can tell you, as I thank EPRC for organizing this meeting that many of us dairy farmers are bleeding and many are dying silently because they fear being misunderstood but I’m ready for anything. We have been let down and we need affirmative action fund like they do for other marginalized groups in this country. We can’t break even anymore as businesses and I can’t smile when my cows are dying.”
Saying he has previously lost up to 150 cows because of cattle diseases, Mwesiga added: “The problem is with DDA; it’s incompetent and I won’t mince words. Why can’t you regulate and put proper prices to protect farmers who are toiling? We can’t continue having a flat price whether you have good milk or not. This conspiracy must stop or else we won’t stop telling you off.”
He said because of DDA’s ineptness, even the cooperatives dairy farmers had formed to be able to speak collectively and protect their interests against exploitation when it comes to quality inputs and fairer pricing have become useless because milk processors like Pearl Dairies and Brookside have established collection centers directly buying from farmers.
He said this has turned them into competitors with dairy farmer cooperatives with whom they are supposed to collaborate and help them grow. “Because of DDA’s betrayal, these processors are buying at exactly the same price as cooperatives,” he said shutting up moderator Dr. Birungi who was urging him to summarize. “It’s us [dairy farmers] who should be given more time than these lousy people of DDA because they are useless,” Mwesiga ranted as the audience chorused “let him talk.”
Specifically responding to MAAIF’s Vet Inspector Ben Ssenkeera who had earlier blamed the problem of the arcaricides-tick resistance on farmers who prefer cheap things and resort to using lava herbs and dudu at the expense of buying proper anti-tick drugs, Mwesiga said: “I’m one of those who use lava and there is nothing you can do to me because these are my cows dying and I can’t lose more.”
He called on the moderator to shut up vet scientists who were heckling his submission saying “I have practical experiences to share because one of them secretly tested these things for me in the Makerere lab and said its okay save for making the cow drunk.” Saying it’s the theorizing by the likes of Ssenkeera and Mutumba that had led to current stalemate in the dairy sub sector, Mwesiga demanded: “I’m going to rant and Mr. Moderator allow me to rant until I feel that is enough because we have gone through a lot because of these people.”
He carried on: “I’m now 55 years old and I never worked for anyone. I have always been on cows yet I have never seen DDA causing milk to be rejected because of bad quality. I’m a peasant only in dairy farming and going by what I’m feeling at heart I’m even being polite because these guys have turned me into a slave farmer.”
Mwesiga also blamed price volatility on connivance between DDA and milk processors because the reasons being given are too dishonest to be believed. “How can I sell a liter at Shs500 and you expect me to save and grow my business? Government policy must change because surely how can it rain today and tomorrow the prices are immediately adjusted downwards and they all blame climate change? That can’t be true at least the effect of the rain and increased milk production can be felt after a month into the rain season but can’t be immediate. It’s just a syndicate to keep us in slavery.” A researcher from Mubs supported him on the impossibility of prices falling the next day after the rains commence.
He further shouted at the DDA bosses: “Why don’t you have a demonstration farm for us to learn from if you indeed think it’s that easy? If I’m to invest and do all the things you require of us to do to increase productivity and yields, I can’t break even and that won’t be business. That is why we are into cheaper things to survive.”
He rejected Ssenkeera’s plea that after spraying against ticks, one should wait for four days before they resume milking their cows or else the milk will be unsafe for human consumption saying those are mere theories which can’t work. He argued the financial situation is so desperate nobody can follow such guidelines “because we have school fees to pay and families to look after.”
He condemned the regular quarantining MAAIF imposes to guard against the Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) that easily spreads to non-infected areas. Mwesiga, whose pride and arrogance clearly rattled some in the audience, stretched his neck, faced the MAAIF officials and plainly told them: “That is a thing of the foolish people.”
On realizing the audience was becoming irritated with the strong language he was using, Mwesiga said they should forgive him because he has difficulties expressing himself in English. Indeed he made some of his points in broken English.
Confessing culpability, Mwesiga said unless GoU offers some affirmative action, there is no way illegal farming practices like using banned substances to keep ticks out will stop. It’s the only way we can practice dairy farming profitably, he indifferently told the clearly shocked scientists at the meeting.
On realizing how complicated the debate was becoming, as scientists demanded to respond to Mwesiga’s “nonsense” as they called it, moderator Patrick Birungi asked EPRC to organize another dialogue to specifically narrow the wedge between scientists and practicing dairy farmers. Consensus was that is the only way understanding can be deepened on both sides. (For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
