Serve milk at parties, says LC5 boss

THE Mbarara LC5 vice-chairperson, Ms. Emma Boona, has called upon parents to feed their children on milk to improve their health, writes Vision Reporter. "Most children from families where parents take a lot of beers are stunted. You find a 12-year-old child looking like a five-year old. This is because of poor feeding which also affects the brains of children," she said. She was addressing residents during the Milk Day celebrations at the Independence Park in Mbarara on Saturday. "Mbarara district has been ranked as 'the land of milk' as if we draw milk from wells like water. It is absurd to see that we have many children who are suffering from kwashiorkor," she said. She castigated farmers for selling off all the milk without leaving some for their children, saying this contributes to malnutrition. "I appeal to party-makers to use milk alongside sodas in order to bolster the local market for milk," she said, adding that people shouldn't only promote sodas and mineral water and forget their own product. The Chairman for Diary Development Authority(DDA), Mr. Henry Kanyike ,appealed to dairy dealers and farmers to demystify the price of milk, which is a hindrance to milk consumption. "Our consumption level in Uganda as a country is 15% of the intake levels recommended by World Health Organisation. The challenge we have as stakeholders is to increase this consumption to at least 30% in the next five years," he said. Kanyike said this in a speech read by DDA Manager, Dr. Flora Kasirye. Every child was given a half-litre packet of milk. The function was funded by the Land 'O' Lakes Inc and USAID. Ends