By Herbert Musoke
The government through the National Agriculture Advisory Service (NAADS), has distributed 500 in-calf heifers to Busoga region to create alternative income for the people growing rice in wetlands.
The heifers were handed over by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at the Iganga district headquarters recently with a call to beneficiaries to care for the animals to realize the goal of fighting poverty and improving household incomes.
“Majority of people from Busoga engage in growing wetland rice, so the government has given them an alternative source of income. We believe that engaging in dairy farming will create income through selling milk and animals after multiplication,” she said.
Kyakulaga Bwino, the state minister for agriculture and the MP for Kigulu North explained that the program has cost the government sh1.5b and the heifers are to be distributed by constituencies where each will be given 10 cows.
Dr Thomas Nsemerirwe, the Livestock Department Officer at NAADS explains that the heifers were selected by a team of experts from the NAADS Secretariat, the Ministry of Agriculture and local leaders.
“They are mainly crossbreeds at 50% and 75%. We believe they can survive in hush conditions but give better milk,” he says.
