LEST YOU FORGET, WEEKLY NEWS UPDATES Edition (VIII) 2024

AGROREF UGANDA

YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW; WEEKLY AGRICULTURE –COOPERATIVES (AGRICO) NEWS UPDATES

 

LEST YOU FORGET; EDITION-(VIII)                             7th April, 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 the building of systems, fostering values of equity, accountability, transparency, and sustainability of organisations, especially smallholder farmer organizations including but not limited to agricultural cooperatives using a Human Rights Based Approach.

AgroRef Uganda compiles news from different media houses and outlets that have been published during the week and shares them with our key stakeholders. The purpose is to keep farmers updated and informed of the operating environment in the country.

WATER AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY WANTS ITS BUDGET INCREASED

According to the minister of Water and Environment Sam Cheptoris, low funding to the Ministry has failed to match the growing water demands and water use patterns, especially with high population growth that has surpassed the rate of infrastructure development.
“The government counterpart funding has not been forthcoming and this has affected project implementation and in some cases, caused delays in implementation,” Cheptoris said.
He led a team of agency officials under the Ministry before Parliament’s Committee Natural Resources and the Environment to respond to queries raised by legislators on the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, regarding the Ministerial Policy statement for the financial year 2024/2025. This was on Thursday 28th March 2024.
The ministry’s permanent secretary Alfred Okot, attributed delays in project implementation for water supply and sanitation installations, to land acquisition challenges and high costs for the location of investments. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/water-and-environment-ministry-wants-its-budg-NV_184756           

GOVT TOLD TO PROMOTE IMPROVED LIVESTOCK BREEDS

Development partners in the livestock sector have asked the Government to promote improved livestock breeds to reduce the dependence of most farming households on indigenous breeds. According to Dr Emily Ouma from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILIRI), indigenous breeds are not only less productive but also have negative effects on the environment. Some studies show that the kind of feeds that livestock, especially cattle eat are later passed out in form of bad gasses such as methane, one of the contributors of global warming. Ouma made the remarks on Thursday, March 28, 2024, during the launch of the 2021 livestock census report reports, that was conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. According to the report, more Ugandans are keeping indigenous goats and cows, which she said is not sustainable with the changing environment. For example, the total goat population was 17.4 million in 2021, an increase by 39.4% from 12.4 million in 2008. Of this figure, indigenous goats accounted for 97.2% of the total goat population, while exotic/cross constituted 2.8%. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/govt-told-to-promote-improved-livestock-breed-NV_184998                           

 NEW REPORT SHOWS GROWTH IN UGANDA'S CATTLE POPULATION

A new report released by the Government on Thursday says there was a 26.9% increase in Uganda's cattle production in 2021. The East African nation's cattle population is estimated at 14.5 million, an increase from 11.4 million reported in 2008. The National Livestock Census 2021 report was launched by animal husbandry state minister Dr Bright Rwamirama and it indicated that indigenous cattle in Uganda constituted 77% while exotic/cross breed represented 23%. The regional distribution of the total cattle population as per the findings show that the eastern and western regions had the highest number of cattle — estimated at 3.3 million cattle (23%). The central region followed with three million cattle (20.8%) and the least number of cattle was recorded in the northern region. But the report went further to offer a sub-regional analysis, which indicated that Karamoja sub-region had the highest number of cattle with 2.4 million (16.7%). This was followed by Ankole with 1.8 million (12.4%) and Buganda North with 1.6 million (11.0%). The least number of cattle were reported in Kigezi with 305,0000 cattle (2.1%) and Bukedi with 469,000 cattle (3.2%).  https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/new-report-shows-growth-in-ugandas-cattle-pop-NV_184697           

 UGANDA DEVELOPS ANTI-TICK VACCINES TO BOOST DAIRY, BEEF INDUSTRY

Scientists in Uganda have developed two anti-tick vaccines whose trials have been successful, and are now awaiting final approval from regulatory authorities.
Frank Mugabi, a senior communications officer at the state-run National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), which regulates agricultural research, told Xinhua that the vaccines were developed after years of research.
"For more than a century, the control of ticks and tick-borne diseases depended on the use of chemical acaricides. However, the use of chemicals was detrimental to the environment," Magabi said. "Now we believe our scientists have made a major breakthrough since the ticks had developed resistance to the acaricides," he added.
Mugabi said several trials had been carried out in various parts of the country for both oral and injectable vaccines in the past 12 months. "Where the trials were carried out, we found that there were no issues related to ticks. The beef and milk were also tested and there were no traces of the vaccines, meaning they were safe for consumption," the official said. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/uganda-develops-anti-tick-vaccines-to-boost-d-NV_184571

 'HOUSEHOLDS WASTE ONE BILLION MEALS DAILY'

Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste. More than $1 trillion worth of food was binned by households and businesses at a time when nearly 800 million people were going hungry, the UN's latest Food Waste Index Report says. It said that more than 1 billion tonnes of food -- almost one fifth of all the produce available on the market -- was wasted in 2022, most of it by households. "Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a statement. Such wastage was not just a moral but "environmental failure", the report said. Food waste produces five times the planet-heating emissions of the aviation sector, and requires huge tracts of land be converted for growing crops that are never eaten. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/households-waste-one-billion-meals-daily-NV_184536                      

 PLANTING TREES IN WRONG PLACES HEATS THE PLANET — STUDY

Planting trees in the wrong places can actually contribute to global warming, scientists said on Tuesday, but a new map identifies the best locations to regrow forests and cool the planet. Trees soak up carbon dioxide and restoring areas of degraded woodlands or planting saplings to boost forest cover is one tool in the fight against climate change. But in some cases, more trees means less sunlight is reflected back from the earth's surface and more heat is absorbed by the planet, according to a study in the journal Nature Communications. "There are some places where putting trees back leads to net climate negative outcomes," Susan Cook-Patton, one of the study's co-authors, told AFP. Scientists had already understood that restoring tree cover led to changes in albedo -- the amount of solar radiation bounced back off the planet's surface -- but didn't have the tools to account for it, she said. Using new maps, researchers were able to consider, for the first time, the cooling effect from trees and the warming caused by decreased albedo. They found that projects that didn't factor albedo into the equation overestimated the climate benefit of additional trees by between 20 to 80 percent. https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/agriculture/planting-trees-in-wrong-places-heats-the-plan-NV_184424

 MPS ASK GOV’T FOR MORE SOLAR-POWERED WATER SUPPLY, IRRIGATION PROJECTS

Members of Parliament have asked the government to initiate more solar-powered water and irrigation projects to boost productivity in the agriculture sector. 
They say increased farmers' productivity would earn the country more revenue from farming as a business and plow back into making more schemes.
The legislators were last week commenting about the sh2.5 trillion (600m Euros) solar-powered water supply and irrigation scheme initiated by the Government and implemented by the Ministry of Water and Environment. 
The ministry contracted Nexus Green (UK) Limited, which is supposed to design, supply, and install solar-powered water supply and irrigation systems in every constituency countrywide.  https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/news/mps-ask-govt-for-more-solar-powered-water-sup-NV_184390     

 UGANDA PROPOSES NEW TAXES ON FUEL, BUILDING MATERIALS

Uganda is proposing a raft of taxes on key products such as fuel and building materials in the next financial year, raising fears of an increase in the already high cost of living. The government terms the proposals necessary to cover a revenue shortfall expected as it plans to cut down on borrowing. The proposals tabled before Parliament last week by the State Minister of Finance in charge of General Duties Henry Musasizi are in five sets of tax Bills: Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2024, Stamp Duty Amendment Bill 2024, Income Tax Bill 2024, Value Added Tax Bill 2024 and Tax Procedures Amendments Bill 2024. The proposals seek to impose a Ush500 ($0.12) on each 50kg bag of cement, adhesive, grout, white cement or lime. They also seek to introduce a Ush1,550 ($0.39) charge on every litre of gasoline, Ush1,230 ($0.31) on each litre of gas oil and Ush1,550 ($0.39) on every litre of paraffin. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/uganda-tax-plan-on-key-products-4580956    

 UGANDA FARMERS PAY PRICE OF DUTY-FREE SUGAR POLICY

The duty-free sugar import window that some East African Community (EAC) member states enjoy to plug local sugar deficit is blamed for the sharp drop in prices in Uganda. At the beginning of the 2023/24 financial year, the EAC Secretariat gave Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya the greenlight to import tax-free sugar to plug their domestic deficits. But the measure has sharply eaten into Uganda’s regional sugar export market. Combined, the market size for Uganda’s sugar in Kenya and Tanzania is estimated at 110,000 tonnes annually, with Kenya consuming the lion’s share of 90,000 tonnes. Farmers are now feeling the heat after cane prices also dropped due to low demand at factories as a result of competition from imported sugar that has flooded the market. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/uganda-farmers-pay-price-of-duty-free-sugar-policy-4573478       

 FARM PRODUCE STUCK DUE TO SHIP SHORTAGE-KENYA

Tea, coffee, avocado and fresh produce farmers in Kenya are staring at losses as the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine continue to disrupt export routes. The Mombasa and Dar es salaam ports have lately recorded a shortage of refrigerated containers (reefers) and normal containers, blamed on delays caused by longer cargo delivery time. Increasing attacks on major ships through the Suez Canal, which is a key route to the East African coast, have forced two of the world’s largest shipping groups — Mediterranean Shipping Company and Maersk — to divert their vessels via South Africa, extending the transit time by two weeks. Shippers have termed the disruption as grave, considering Kenya’s bumper avocado harvest beginning February. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/farm-produce-stuck-due-to-ship-shortage-4566250        

 COURT ORDERS GOVT TO COMPENSATE TEA FARMERS WITH OVER SHS 60BN

The commercial division of the High court has ruled in favour of tea nursery operators from ten districts, ordering the government to compensate them with more than Shs 60 billion for their tea seedlings. This decision was handed down by justice Harriet Grace Magala following an unsuccessful appeal by the government against the tea operators. The operators named in the case include Frank Byaruhanga, Dr Francis Runumi, George Owakukiroru, Caleb Tumwesimira Kipande, Sam Arineitwe Kajolo, Julius Tumushabe, Julius Kanyamunyu, and Rev Bernard Byamugisha. In 2019, these farmers filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General and the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), seeking compensation for tea seedlings that perished in their nursery beds due to the government's failure to honour a guarantee demand issued by the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries. Following negotiations out of court, both the farmers and respondents reached a consent judgment endorsed by the court registrar on January 8, 2021. As per the consent judgment, it was recognized that the number of tea seedlings estimated to have been planted in the specified districts amounted to 106,640,606, valued at Shs 42 billion. Of this, Shs 8 billion had already been paid to eligible nursery bed operators, and NAADS committed Shs 7 billion for payment. https://observer.ug/index.php/news/headlines/80987-court-orders-govt-to-compensate-tea-farmers-with-over-shs-60bn      

 IS IMF WRONG ON TAXATION OF SACCOS?

Saccos in Uganda are a means of providing aid to people through access to loans; so, it is only fair Saccos are exempted from taxation since they provide financial services alternative to the formal conventional banking, writes DERRICK NAHUMUZA. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently issued a report after conclusion of the fifth review of Uganda’s Extended Credit Facility Arrangement. The March 6, 2024 report made several recommendations on how Uganda can ensure maximum economic recovery following the disastrous effects of Covid-19. The IMF, like the World Bank, is one of the Bretton Woods institutions that was created to reduce poverty by lending money to governments in low-developed countries with an aim of improving their standards of living. One of its core responsibilities is to monitor economic and financial policies of member countries and providing them with policy advice that is widely referred to as surveillance. In carrying out its mandate, this Bretton Woods institution does routine reviews of a country’s policies and offers advice and recommendations flowing from economic discoveries made. Following the unfortunate events of Covid-19, IMF undertook to offer recommendations that would enable countries that had been grossly affected by Covid-19 gain an upward economic recovery. It’s against this backdrop that IMF recommended the removal of tax exemptions on incomes from Savings and Credit Cooperation Societies (Saccos) in its fifth Uganda review report. IMF reasoned that removal of exemptions from incomes obtained by Saccos would create a near-term revenue reform priority that would boost corporate income tax collection. However, for several reasons, IMF got it wrong. https://observer.ug/index.php/news/headlines/80982-is-imf-wrong-on-taxation-of-saccos  

 KAMPALA BEEF SALES DROP

Despite the lifting of quarantine restrictions imposed in Kampala district following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Kabowa, Lubaga division, on March 1, 2024, beef sales in Kampala have dropped significantly. This development follows a statement issued on March 11, 2024 by the state minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Lt. Col. (Rtd) Dr Bright Rwamirama, which reads: “Reference is made to the quarantine restriction letter dated 1st March 2024 from the Commissioner of Animal Health. The restriction was imposed following a report of a sick animal in a zero-grazing unit in Rubaga Division on 28th February 2024. The technical team has since established that the disease is localized and the affected herd has been put under strict surveillance. Accordingly, the guidelines for safe trade in animal and animal products in non-affected areas, issued on 2nd February 2024, shall apply to Kampala city. Abattoirs operating in non-affected areas/ sub-counties shall continue to operate and receive animals from non-affected areas, provided they do not come from or pass through affected areas. The quarantine, though relaxed by Rwamirama, had led to over 35 districts across the country being placed under restrictions to contain the spread of foot and mouth disease. The affected districts include Sembabule, Mubende, Gomba, Kyotera, Lwengo, Kabarole, Rakai, Ngora, Kibuku, Bukedea, Butaleja, Mbarara, among others. https://observer.ug/index.php/news/headlines/80978-kampala-beef-sales-drop    

 LIKE-MINDED ORGANIZATIONS JOIN HANDS TO COMBAT AFLATOXIN

In a unified effort to combat the pervasive threat of aflatoxin contamination in Uganda’s food and feed supply, a coalition of organizations led by the Food Rights Alliance (FRA), alongside the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), and the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), has launched a groundbreaking campaign. The initiative, supported by key stakeholders including the Grain Council of Uganda (TGCU), the World Food Programme (WFP), and Feed the Future, aims to tackle the root causes of aflatoxin contamination and empower stakeholders across the agricultural value chain. Aflatoxins, poisonous molds found in harvests, have long been a concern for food safety and public health in Uganda. Studies have linked aflatoxin exposure to severe health disorders, including liver cancer, as well as stunted growth in livestock. Recent incidents of aflatoxin contamination in food exports have not only posed a threat to public health but have also led to the blocking of Ugandan food exports due to high aflatoxin levels, underscoring the urgency of addressing this issue.

https://chimpreports.com/like-minded-organizations-join-hands-to-combat-aflatoxin/#google_vignette