AGROREF UGANDA-LEST YOU FORGET; AGRICO NEWS UPDATES- EDITION (I)
AGROREF UGANDA
YOU HAVE A RIGHT
TO KNOW; WEEKLY AGRICULTURE –COOPERATIVES (AGRICO) NEWS
LEST
YOU FORGET; EDITION-ONE
8th-14th
January 2024
About AgroRef
Uganda
Agriculture
Reform (AgroRef) Uganda is a Non-Governmental and Not-for -Profit Organization
focusing on advancing agricultural policy reforms, budget advocacy; and
supporting building of systems, fostering values of equity, accountability,
transparency and sustainability of organisations especially small holder farmer
organizations including but not limited to agricultural cooperatives using a
Human Rights Based Approach.
Lest you forget
news series;
Ugandans
especially farmers and cooperatives members have a right to know about what
duty bearers and other key stakeholders are involved in supporting their work;
are doing or planning to do to improve the status of small-holder farmers. Different
platforms including mainstream traditional media, government MDA’s information
and communication platforms regularly publicize news especially news related to
implementation of government programmes.
The
lest you forget series are intended to keep reminding Ugandans of these
promises and information published by different outlets with the view of
sustaining citizens interest in pursuing accountability but also support
government in monitoring the same programmes.
FARMERS
LOSING SHS4 TRILLION DUE TO LIVESTOCK DISEASES
The livestock industry in Uganda and its productivity continue to
be threatened by a number of diseases many of which are tick-borne
related
ScienceDirect has
revealed that farmers in Uganda lose more than $1.1b (Shs4.1 trillion) in
aggregated annual direct and indirect loss due to the rising spread of tick-borne
animal challenges, with the commonest and economically damaging tick-borne
disease being the East Coast Fever.
“There are
ongoing efforts by the Agriculture Ministry, in collaboration with the Food and
Agriculture Organisation to support diagnosis of tick resistance to acaricides
at regional laboratory centres but this is not enough,” she said during the
livestock industry key stakeholders meeting in Kampala, which had been convened
to discuss and prioritise areas for tick control.
The stakeholders
included veterinarians, extension staff, farmers, processors and government
representatives.
Ministry of
Agriculture is already working on the Managing Animal Health and Acaricides for
a Better Africa Initiative, which seeks to, among others, provide sustainable
solutions to enable small-scale farmers maximise the potential of their cattle
by developing and practicing methods that can successfully manage tick
infections in cattle.
During the
meeting, the TickAcademy App, which will support farmers in managing tick
infestations was also pre-launched.
By the end of January,
farmers and extension workers will be able to access the app’s educational
content, which includes simple-to-watch films, to help them become
knowledgeable about tick control.
SILKWORM
PROJECT HITS DEAD WALL AFTER GOVT LOOKS AWAY
The TRIDI has
since pointed fingers at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation
(MoSTI) for obstructing the progress of the initiative, leading to economic
losses and wastage of investments.
More than 2,000
workers at the Tropical Institute for Development Innovation (TRIDI)
sericulture project, among them casual workers, have been rendered jobless
after the government suspended funding.
Sericulture is
the production of silk and the rearing of silkworms.
Mr Robson Aine,
the director of monitoring and evaluation at TRIDI, told this publication that
the line ministry is fighting the project.
“The Ministry of
Science, Technology and Innovations (STI) suspended the funding. They are
responsible for its failure to meet its obligations in the memorandum of
understanding. The ministry wanted TRIDI to scale down to only two districts,”
Mr Aine said on Monday.
The TRIDI has
since pointed fingers at the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation
(MoSTI) for obstructing the progress of the initiative, leading to economic
losses and wastage of investments.
However, Dr
Monica Musenero, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, dismissed
allegations of sabotaging the project during a phone interview at the
weekend.
The projects,
aimed at promoting the production of silkworms and their by-products, was
funded by the government.
Silkworms are a
natural protein fiber that can be woven into textiles.
Mr Aine said
Parliament appropriated Shs43 billion for sericulture development in 24
districts in the Financial Year 2022/2023 to enable the project to produce raw
material for processing, install silkworm egg production facilities, and train
Ugandans to operate the machinery for silk yarn production in Sheema, Kween,
Nwoya, Kayunga, and Bukedea.
“But the ministry
decided to suspend the release of the funds contrary to the Public Finance
Management Act 2015,” he said.
Dr Clet Masiga,
the executive director and principal investigator of TRIDI, said the national
silk production projects hangs in the balance.
“We don’t know
how long this (suspension) will take but we are told negotiations are ongoing.
A lot of mulberries have gone to waste. We lose four acres of mulberry per
month. Many people lost their livelihood,” he said.
https://www.independent.co.ug/govt-picks-interest-in-agroecology-agriculture/
GOVT TO LAUNCH CLIMATE SMART
AGRICULTURE TO TUNE OF $350M IN NORTHERN UGANDA
The government has announced plans to initiate an agricultural
mechanization project aimed at improving crop production, known as ‘Climate
Smart Agriculture.’ State Minister for Agriculture, Fred Bwino, made this
revelation on Wednesday while addressing farmers in Nwoya district.
Minister Bwino revealed that the project, valued at US$ 350
million, received Cabinet approval last week and is now awaiting parliamentary
endorsement for immediate implementation. ‘Climate Smart Agriculture’ will
target 18 sub-regions, including Acholi, Karamoja, Lango, and West Nile
sub-regions.
Under the project, the government will establish a mechanization
center in each of the targeted sub-regions. These centers will feature large
earth-moving equipment such as bulldozers, graders, and combined harvesters,
which will be easily accessible to the districts without the need to travel to
Kampala.
Additionally, the project will provide tractors, offer training
for farm machine operators, establish a training center for mechanics, and create
a garage for equipment repairs. Minister Bwino emphasized that this
initiative will address the challenges of underutilized land by farmers, the
scarcity of farm machinery, and the absence of heavy machinery at the regional
level.
MP
WANTS GOVT TO COMPENSATE FARMERS FOR QUARANTINE LOSSES
Allan Mayanja (Nakaseke Central, NUP) wants the
government to compensate constituents who have lost their cattle to the Foot
and Mouth disease (FMD).
This
comes on the back of the government’s move to ban animal movement and trade in
Nakasongola District until the contagious viral ailment is contained.
Speaking during plenary Thursday, January 25, Mayanja disclosed that whereas
FMD has spiralled into his backyard, the government in a knee-jerk manner,
responded by cordoning off the trade.
“Seriously speaking, it is affecting Nakaseke, Kinyongoga, Wakyato. According
to a report from the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), in just two weeks 285
heads of cattle have shown signs and some of them have died,” he disclosed.
Mayanja further observed that “The Ministry just imposed a quarantine but is
not providing vaccines and Mr Speaker, farmers have lost their cattle but what
is the Government doing like compensating them. Because the Government has a
duty to keep people and their properties. But they are sleeping on their
job.”
According to Dr Abed Bwanika (Kimaanya-Kabonera), a trained veterinarian, two
things account for recurrent FMD outbreaks in the country.
“Apart from animal control, the provision and availability of efficacious
vaccines. National Research Organisation (NARO) which is an organisation for
the Government has invested heavily in innovation and is ready to produce
vaccines from this country,” Bwanika.
“They need funds. I want to request that when the Minister is coming to Parliament,
he should appraise Parliament on how far NARO has reached in ensuring that they
produce vaccines in Uganda,” he added.
MAKERERE
UNIVERSITY PARTNERS WITH TEA RESEARCHERS TO INCREASE PRODUCTION
Makerere University has partnered with tea
researchers from the National Agriculture Research Organization (NARO) to train
tea researchers at Masters and PHD levels.
The aim is to
increase expertise in tea research to up production. The training will be
conducted jointly with the Aarhus University Denmark.
Officiating as
chief guest at the project launch at Makerere University’s Food Science and
Technology Department on Tuesday, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe
said that the project is to bridge the tea yield gap in Uganda.
Current
production per hectare is two metric tons per year and yet the target of the
research is for one harvest of six metric tons of tea per hectare per year.
To increase
production, Nawangwe said that it will be done through the development of local
solutions that support tea to become resilient to the effects of climate change
like drought.
The local
solutions include the identification of climate-resilient tea varieties,
integrating nitrogen fixing trees in coffee plantations, water harvesting and
management practices, among others.
The above
solutions will be backed up with capacity building by the University that will
train five PHD and five Masters holders to specifically work on tea.
“I am informed
that tea is a widely consumed and one of the oldest beverages in the world,
ranked second after water and in Uganda, tea is the second-largest export crop
after coffee. Therefore, research that is aiming at improving tea production is
welcome in the country,” Nawangwe said.
MINISTER
URGES FARMERS TO ADHERE TO ANIMAL HEALTH PROTOCOLS
Agriculture
minister Frank Tumwebaze has implored farmers and farm workers to strictly
adhere to protocols of animal health and disease control on the farm.
In his advisory
and appeal shared on his X, formerly Twitter, account, the minister urged the
farmers and farm workers not to harvest animal products (milk, beef/meat or
blood ) for consumption when the animal is under treatment at all times.
“Please allow the
withdrawal period of 14 days to pass and then resume the milking and or
slaughter. If unsure, consult your local vet or extension worker at the
nearest sub-county," he said.
Tumwebaze said
even non-farmers who consume farm products can help amplify this message.
“I appeal to our
local government extension workers both public and private and all community
leaders to amplify this message as a public health measure and ensure
compliance among farmers,” the Minister added.
Why observe the
14 days?
Tumwebaze said
drug residues happen when an animal is given drugs, and those drugs remain
above safe tolerance levels in either the animal’s milk before processing or
tissues after slaughter.
“Because drug
residues in milk and meat have important food safety considerations, farmers
have to be advised repeatedly to observe the recommended safety precautions on
the farm during treatment,” he stated.
He asked the
farmers and consumers to remember, “animal health is also human health.”
Besides animals,
an investigation by New
Vision last year revealed there were a lot of chemical
residues in different crop products which included tomatoes and cabbages that
were being sold on the market. The investigations also revealed that farmers
were using chemicals in a manner that was not specified on the product label.
Among the
dangerous chemicals that were being sprayed on crops included Mancozeb among
others that were banned in European countries.
FARMERS
APPEAL TO WORLD BANK FOR SUPPORT AS THE SUBSIDIZED AGRO INPUT PROJECT WINDS UP
Farmers who have
benefited from the E-Voucher system, under the Agriculture Cluster Development Project
(ACDP) have appealed to the World Bank to renew the project that comes to an
end in March this year.
The farmers made the appeal on Wednesday during a World Bank-MAAIF mission tour
of beneficiaries of the project, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture
Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) in Eastern districts of Bugweri, Kaliro,
Mbale and Kumi, that ended on Thursday.
Under the E-Voucher system, farmers contributed a certain percentage towards
the purchase of agro inputs, and then the government contributed the bigger
percentage.
Agro inputs that were accessed by farmers under this system cut across the
value chain such as Seeds, Herbicides, fertilizers, machinery Tarpaulins among
others. To ensure quality, the system incorporated a list of agro input dealers
to supply the farmers with the requested inputs, added the commissioner
Extension and Skills Development and coordinator of the ACDP project in the
Ministry of Agriculture Henry Nakalet Opolot.
Opolot added that the $ 150-million-dollar credit facility project from the
IDA of the World Bank, and supplemented by $98m contribution from farmers and
farmer organizations was aimed at raising on-farm productivity, production to
attain volumes needed by the Market of selected commodities. These include
maize, rice, beans, cassava and coffee in 57 districts across the country.
FOOD CROP
PRODUCTION CURTAILING AGRO-INDUSTRIALISATION — TUMWEBAZE
Continuous
investment in food production is to blame for the low industrialisation of
Uganda, according to agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze.
The minister says food crops have been the major contributors to GDP, with the
lowest contribution coming from Livestock, Fisheries, and Plantation farming
which are key drivers for agroindustrialisation.
“Reliance on these food crops, which are less climate resilient, has left our
communities vulnerable to climate shocks, and hence moving into and out of
poverty,” Tumwebaze said.
He gave an example of the 2021 UBOS report that indicated that while 8.4% of
households moved out of poverty, 10.2% slipped into poverty resulting in
Uganda’s poverty rates increasing from 19.7 percent in 2016/2017 to 21.4
percent in 2019/2021. This led to around 1.4 million Ugandans slipping into
poverty.
Some of the reasons for the trend, according to Tumwebaze, are the poor choice
of value chains and low agricultural productivity due to limited access to
mechanisation, irrigation, post-harvest losses, and value addition among
others.
Other reasons include degradation of wetlands, and forests, declining soil fertility,
and Climate change.
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