UGANDA – Members of the Uganda Animal Feeds Manufacturers Association (UGAFMA) and their partners from the Region have converged for a two-day workshop at Four Points by Sheraton in Kampala to discuss the advancement in technologies that have informed the animal feed sector.
Themed ‘Advancing Uganda’s feed and biofuel industry,’ the workshop aims to brainstorm on the feed industry as a driver of economic advancement in Uganda and the region.
Recent studies have shown that 6.8 million out of 9.3 million households in Uganda raise livestock as a source of livelihood.
Further studies indicate that the livestock sector accounts for about 17 percent of Uganda’s agricultural value added and 4.3 percent of Uganda’s GDP.
According to experts, the animal feed demand is poised to increase further necessitating strategic measures.
Speaking as Chief Guest at the launch of the two-day meeting, Hon. Hellen Adoa, the Minister of State for Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) said that she relates to the private sector and pledges total support for the industry.
According to Adoa, the demand for feed is so high. She, therefore, appealed to UGAFMA and its partners to consider researching new technologies and see how to expand the industry, assuring support from the government.
Marcel Franitza, Industry Director, Animal Feed at Andritz Feed & Biofuel, said that the industry is currently facing a number of challenges including frequent changes in the ingredients/formula which he said is driven by availability and cost. The second challenge he said is the inclusion of liquid high-energy ingredients.
To this, Franitza called for local manufacturing of feed in a bid to optimize production.
“You have a lot of raw materials. Why not do safe production in Uganda? Manufacture first for the people of Uganda and maybe export,” said Franitza.
On his response, Aimable Mbarushimana, UGAFMA Chairman noted that with the available raw materials, Uganda has the capacity to manufacture animal feed locally.
According to Mbarushimana, the only challenge previously was infrastructure. However, he says that with the partnership of Andritz Feed & Biofuel, a renowned feed manufacturer, Uganda can now manufacture its animal feed and possibly export to the outside markets.
“This is good timing, we now have the right technology to manufacture feed locally because we have the raw materials,” Mbarushimana said.
Earlier, Anthony Mutwiri, the Area Sales Manager – Africa at Andritz Feed & Biofuel, a feed processing equipment giant, said that there is a need for sector players to reflect on the role the equipment plays in the success of the feed operations.
According to Mutwiri, recent years have seen massive advancements in technology that he says has revolutionized the way “we approach equipment manufacturing.”
“By leveraging these innovations, we can help you optimize your processes, minimize downtime, and maximize your return on investments,” said Mutwiri.
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