Grapevine

Namutumba seeks contractor to run idle Shs100m milk cooler

Authorities in Namutumba District are looking for a contractor to run a Shs100 million milk cooler tank which has sat idle in Nakyere Village, Namutumba Sub-county for the past 17 years.

The 1,500-litre facility was a 2008/2009 financial year Presidential Initiative under the Community Agriculture Infrastructure Improvement Programme (CAIIP), aimed at adding value to milk after the government supplied heifers to model farmer groups in Busoga Sub-region.

However, it is rusting away following dairy farmers’ failure to produce adequate milk over the period, prompting the Secretary for Production in Nawaikona Sub-county, Ms Annet Batuvamu Neka, to suggest last month that it be relocated to Namutumba Town Council for proper use.

The District Internal Security Officer (DISO), Mr Fred Musoke, gave Namutumba Sub-county leadership a six-month ultimatum, ending in February next year, to have the milk cooler functioning, lest it be relocated to Bushenyi District which he said has higher milk yields.

The Namutumba Sub-county leadership has now convened a special council sitting to see how best to operationalise the milk cooler tank, and passed a resolution to get a contractor effective next month to oversee its functionality.