Parliament has approved the proposal by the Government to abolish Dairy Development Authority following the passing into law the Dairy Industry (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which will see the Authority’s functions mainstreamed back to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
While presenting the Chairperson of the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee Linda Agnes Auma warned that the rationalization of DDA may affect the regulator gains already achieved and adversely affect the market, but these can be dealt with if Government ensures that mainstreaming DDA into the Ministry of Agriculture doesn’t jeopardize the ongoing processes of recognition, accreditation that are critical for market access.
“Meaning the Ministry should take this as a serious matter since milk is a perishable good. Rationalization of DDA will not lead to anticipated saving as stated by Certificate of Financial Implication, because it was misleading. Rationalization of DDA may in a way compromise quality assurance, if not taken care of. Therefore, the Ministry must establish a robust regulatory unit to ensure that the quality of the dairy products is not compromised,” she said.
The Hoima City Woman representative Asinansi Nyakato and shadow Minister for Agriculture while presenting the minority report, faulted the Government for quoting unrealistic figures on the savings to be gained following the merger, arguing that the 40 staff that will be removed have wages and no-wages that aren’t considered by the Certificate of Financial Implication.
“Export of milk and milk products require observance of safety and quality standards and regulations along the dairy value chain, which the Ministry can’t effectively and efficiently deliver. It is also important to note that the milk is a perishable product and it is mainly driven by smallholder farmers,” Nyakato .
She explained that “We must note that the Ministry doesn’t have the capacity, it has insufficient budget funding, it is also struggling with too much bureaucracy which will affect efficiency and effectiveness. The above is coupled with the laissez-faire syndrome of permanent staff that has seen the Ministry to date fail to come up with the Fisheries and Aquaculture Regulations to protect our fisher people, even after this 11th Parliament passed the Bill,” she said.
Minister of Agriculture Frank Tumwebaze while defending the merger argued that Government is convinced that the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and the relevant departments under there, can ably integrate the functions of the DDA and enable Uganda make efficient gains and consolidate all the staff together, pay them better and implement the policy without any duplication.
“Fortunately, when the Government enhanced salaries of scientists, most of these people working in agencies, it will not be hard to integrate them into the main service because the salary for the scientists was harmonized and enhanced. In fact, the pay they get in these agencies is lower than what the scientists in the mainstream are getting," said Tumwebaze .
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