“I was a prominent fisherman, and cattle keeping was something I did on the side. However, when things became difficult at the lake, I decided to concentrate on dairy farming,” he said.
What began as a modest dairy project on three acres of land with just 10 animals has grown into a sprawling livestock enterprise covering 12 square miles, with more than 6,000 cattle and 15,000 goats.
This is the remarkable journey of Lawrence Busuulwa, the proprietor of Bukanama Dairy Farm on Ddamba Island in Koome sub-county, Mukono District, who traded fishing for commercial livestock farming after encountering challenges in the fishing industry.
Busuulwa started the farm in 2004 while still actively engaged in fishing, which was then his main source of livelihood. Initially, cattle keeping was merely a side activity, but as difficulties at the lake mounted, he decided to concentrate on dairy farming.
“I was a prominent fisherman, and cattle keeping was something I did on the side. However, when things became difficult at the lake, I decided to concentrate on dairy farming,” he said.
More than two decades later, Bukanama Dairy Farm has grown into a major livestock enterprise, with Busuulwa emerging as a prominent stakeholder in livestock breeding and genetic improvement in the islands, Greater Mukono and beyond.
Bukanama Diary Farm currently employs at least 300 people and supplies approximately 6,500 litres of milk every two days to markets on the mainland in Mukono and Wakiso districts.
Despite operating in islands that are not connected to the national electricity grid, Busuulwa has invested in large milk-cooling facilities powered by generators to preserve the milk before transportation.
He now plans to expand the enterprise further by establishing a poultry project with a projected capacity of 500,000 birds.
Watch the video to discover how Busuulwa transformed a small cattle-keeping venture into one of the region’s major livestock enterprises.