Kampala — In 2008 Uganda saw total milk production in the country grow from 365 million litres to 1.5 billion litres per year, the Diary Development Authority (DDA) has said.

The rise in the production has in 2009 however been affected by the drought that hit the country from around July to August. This reduced milk production from four million litres of milk per day by 50%.

"With the drought it meant that there was milk scarcity as farmers struggled to get water and grass to feed their cows," Mrs. Bernadette Katureebe, the new chairperson of DDA's board of directors said.

The drought earlier this year also led to a 50% increase in the milk prices in some areas. Farmers however argue that the increase in price was at production level.

Farmers especially those in Mbarara and Bushenyi in the west have continued to argue that they have been getting a raw deal from the processor Sameer Agriculture and Livestock Limited.

"Farmers are not getting value for their milk and that is why there is need to allow fair competition in the market. There is monopoly in the market and it needs to broken," Mr. Bright Rwamirama, the minister of state for animal industry and fisheries said while presiding over the inauguration of the new board of directors at DDA last week.The minister says that the small processing plants need to be supported .