By Jovita Mirembe
Government has been asked to formulate a bidding policy on the export of animal feed raw materials, Kimaanya kabonera Masaka district Member of parliament has said.
Dr Abed Bwanika said that farmers export animal feed raw materials which include soya beans, maize, and maize bran at a very low price to neighbouring countries like Tanzania and Kenya but in the long run import animal feeds at a very high price.
‘ The export of these animal feed raw materials at a cheap price lowers the country’s export income.
We need a bidding policy that will stop farmers on selling these raw materials so that we can sell value added products of animal feeds in order to get high export income for our country’ Bwanika said.
He said this at the setup of the country specific feed and fodder policy reform , validation and implementation meeting at Hotel Africana 13 March.
Robert Kibuuka the principle veterinary Diary and meat officer at Ministry of Agriculture Animal industry and fisheries(MAAIF)also asked government to formulate a policy of stopping the use of chemicals and hormones in live stock to make them grow fast.
He said that when livestock are fed on chemical and hormones during their growth period, when slaughtered, the meat and milk is put on the export market but cannot compete on the world market because of the toxins it contains, hence the country losing market in diary products and foreign exchange.
Iam asking Government to speed up in putting the non use of the chemicals and hormones to stimulate growth in livestock policy so that our diary products cannot be rejected on the world market, our country getting foreign exchange and reducing on the rate of cancers caused by people eating diary products that have used chemicals and hormones during the growth period’ Kibuuka said.
The meeting was attended by policy makers from the of Ministry of Agriculture Animal industry and fisheries , Members of parliament, the private sector, civil society, development partners, local governments and other government ministries, departments and agencies.
