It is surprising that the cattle farmers at Namutamba are yet to get modern. Through the 1970’s to date one sees the cattle keepers at Kyetume using traditional methods. The fencing using natural trees which exploit the soil are the norm. The ‘Busitani’ trees were there when we were young and today one sees the same! Why are we not having trees which are food for cattle? Why don’t we have fewer cattle and emphasize quality vis a vis quantity? Why don’t we see farmers practice zero grazing for their cattle?
Strategy number one should be to see improved breeds of cattle. This can be done when we get in touch with Dr. Ssemambo at Entebbe Breeding Centre. With cattle which can give our farmers greater milk, these farmers will surely be in business. Dr. Ssemambo is on telephone number: +256772421469 and surely a strategy can be got by which he can ably send staff from his office to artificially inseminate cattle of the people of Namutamba.
These farmers should have water harvesting strategies so that much of the would be run off is collected, and even in gardens we should see that our people gather water that can irrigate their gardens. Given the dry season experience, the people of Namutamba should venture into strategies to make hay so that even when it gets dry, there is means to provide for the cattle.
The cattle keepers should ensure that the cattle get the right veterinary services. At this point in time it is bad news if our cattle keepers can have cattle which has ticks.
William Kituuka Kiwanuka
KIRUHURA FLOODS WITH MILK FROM MODERN FARMING
Tuesday, 19th September, 2006
By Nabusayi Wamboka
Rushere trading centre in Kiruhura district is a humble town, developing at its own pace but standing apart from other villages because of its value for milk.
So, when we asked for tea at 6.00am and the manager served us black tea, we protested.
“We don’t serve milk, which has slept over. We have to wait for fresh milk from the farmers,” he said.
According to the LC5 chairman, Philip Kamugungunu, milk and meat are Kiruhura’s major income-earning products.
“Most of the farmers here have adopted modern cattle farming and have improved on milk production. We have 12 registered cooperative societies for dairy farmers producing over 40,000 litres of milk daily. The yield drops to 15,000 litres in the dry season,” he said.
Kiruhura alone produces over 100,000 litres of milk a day and sells to neighbouring districts and Kampala.
According to Rev. Canon John Ruzokyi, a member of the Ankole Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society and the biggest buyer of milk in Kiruhura, “There is a lot of milk wasted.“We are limited by lack of milk coolers. Rushere has 20 coolers with a capacity of 5,000 litres per cooler,” a resident, says.
Last year, Kiruhura earned sh1.6b from registered farmers, each farmer earning sh9m through their cooperative societies. Other farmers who sell through cooperative societies and to traders, earn sh250,000 daily.
Mzee Yoweri Kyeishe, 80, of Burindi village, Kiruhura says he earns between sh350,000–250,000. “I migrated from Rwekiniro in Ntungamo and sold my land to buy five crossbreeds. I got more cows and rear them on an 80-acre land. In the rainy season, I get 10 litres of milk daily from each cow,” he says. Kyaishe also owns hundreds of goats, which he breeds to supply to other farmers. He sold 49 local goats to buy nine cross breeds.
Manuel Mwesigye, 52, a father of six says he sold 18 Ankole cows to buy eight exotic cows. Now, he owns 250 crossbred cattle and gets 200 litres of milk a day. “I sell most of my milk in Kinoni, four miles away, but it is far and costly to transport the milk,” he says.
With the help of the National Agricultural Advisory Services, Mwesigye got two donkeys to transport the milk. Mwesigye is also involved in crop and fruit production and grows hay for his cattle using modern practices.
For 80-year-old Mary Bairwanamu, once a proud owner of 10 mailos of land, the Government can reform the economy by empowering girls.
Being the oldest child from the Abaitiri clan, Bairwanamu inherited family land. However, during Obote 1, government decided to do away with the Mailo Land System.
When the Omugabe of Ankole, Gasyonga, advised to distribute the land among several family members, she got five miles of land, on which she lives with her children and grandchildren. Bairwanamu has over 600 heads of cattle, 100 of which are crossbreeds.
“My children crossbred some of my cows, but I still have the pure breed of the Ankole cows,”
Mzee Eliphaz Kamugisha, 90, says that from the crossbreeds, he gets 600–1000 litres of milk a day.
Many small scale businesses add value to their milk by making and selling ghee and yogurt.
Recently, the Vice President, Prof Gilbert Bukenya, was in Kiruhura on a fact-finding mission concerning the launch of President Yoweri Museveni’s Bona Bagagawale programme. Speaking to Ankole, Diary Products, Kazo Dairy farmers cooperative society and women groups, he said that his visit was meant to assess how families earn a living and also identify successful families to use as examples to help the rest of the country fight poverty. Bukenya will carry out similar visits to rural households in other districts.
CATTLE IMPROVEMENT IN UGANDA
As part of its cattle improvement programme, the Uganda government recently imported four Romagnola bulls from South Africa.
Dr Daniel Semambo, National Animal Genetic Resource Centre and Data Bank executive director at the Uganda agriculture and animal industry and fisheries ministry, said this follows a successful trial conducted after buying Romagnola semen from South Africa in 2007.
“As we speak, some Ugandan farmers are breeding Romagnola crosses with our indigenous breeds,” said Dr Semambo.
During the 2007 trials they looked at performance, growth rate and physical appearance, he added. They were particularly impressed by the breed’s lack of calving problems. “The calves are narrow and long, and they can put on a lot of meat,” explained Semambo.
The project’s mandate is to improve Uganda’s cattle without destroying indigenous breeds, add value to their beef products, and boost agricultural exports, he said.
“We’ll now be able to achieve our export goal by breeding faster-growing animals, and creating and maintaining disease-free zones and good feeding programmes.” Countries targeted for beef exports are the Democratic Republic of Congo, southern Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and northwestern Tanzania.
Semambo and his senior managers were introduced to the Romagnola breed at Armando Balocco’s farm during a 2002 visit – and fell in love with the breed.
They were also very impressed by South Africa’s breed societies. “We are sending our farmers to learn from the societies and implement the same systems in Uganda,” said Semambo.
One of only 11 Romagnola stud breeders in SA, Balocco said it was good to see Uganda trying to improve cattle and increase beef production. “We need to start making provision for Africa’s food demand,” he noted. – Peter Mashala
Source: farmersweekly.co.za
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