Over the years, the Uganda’s agriculture sector has renewed the mandate to make steady progress in taking Uganda to modernity through job creation, agriculture being the backbone of the economy, employing 70% of the population, and contributing half of Uganda’s export earnings and a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
In this edition, we analyze the two- year Journey of the agriculture sector and how it transformed the country within the guidance of the Vision of “A Competitive, Profitable and Sustainable Agricultural Sector” and Mission “To Transform Subsistence Farming into Commercial Agriculture.”
Coffee: Coffee Production increased from 8.06 million 60kg bags in FY2020/21 to 8.45 million 60kg bags in FY 2021/22. Coffee exports have also increased from 6.08 million 60kg bags valued at USD 554.89 million in FY2020/21to 6.26 million 60kg bags valued at USD 862.22 million in FY 2021/22.
This milestone was as a result of key Government interventions such as farmer training, distribution of high value seedlings to farmers and promotion of new resistant high yield coffee varieties.
Government through UCDA distributed 101,872,271 coffee seedlings to farmers; trained 2,313 value chain actors in good harvesting and post harvest handling practices that included only picking red ripe coffee and stumped 16,857,218 old and unproductive coffee trees in the different regions. These were motivated through distribution of 573,268 bags of organic fertilizers.
NARO developed and promoted new resistant varieties for coffee with a yield potential of up to 3.9 tons per hectare.
Maize: The Government through NAADS has distributed 7,136,000 kgs of maize seed under the Food Security Initiative to 891,568 households including youths, women, older persons, PWDs and other vulnerable groups to establish 713,600 acres across the country.
This has resulted in an increase in production of maize from 3.5Million MT in FY2020/21 to 4.7 million MT in FY2021/22.
At the end of the FY 2021/22, NAADS established 5 grain stores of 300MT capacity each in Kasese (2), Kyegegwa (1), Kitagwenda (2) under AGRILED program for the Rwenzori sub region.
Tea: Government through NAADS has distributed 199,785,979 tea seedlings to districts of Zombo, Buhweju, Rubanda, Kisoro, Mitooma, Kanungu, Rukungiri, Ntungamo, Sheema, Rukiga and Bushenyi. These efforts have increased tea production from 67,000MT in the FY 2015/16 to 84,185 MT in FY 2021/22.
These interventions have resulted in a 39% increase in the volume of exports from 54,898 MT (worth USD 74.5 million) in FY 2015/16 to 76,532 MT (worth USD 85.50 million) in FY 2021/22.
Cassava:Government through NAADS has distributed 612,552 bags of cassava cuttings to 8 DLGs in Acholi sub region and 5 District Local Governments in Lango sub region as part of the Cassava commercialization project with Gulu Archdiocese.
Fruits (Citrus, Mangoes, Pineapples and apples): Government has distributed 2,966,418 citrus seedlings to 9,677 households to establish 9,677 acres; 3,638,271 mango seedlings to 15,620 households to establish 15,620 acres; 269,123 apple seedlings to 506 households to establish 506 acres and 7,926,666 pineapple suckers to 700 households to establish 700 acres.
Government completed construction and equipping of the main factory building for the 5MT/hr Yumbe mango processing plant, installation of additional 0.5MT/hr pineapple processing facility for Kayunga factory and installation of 2 MT/hr multi-fruit processing facility for Kapeeka.
Government is also planning to construct a 12 MT/Hour Nwoya multifruit processing factory. The facilities will largely contribute to reduction of post-harvest losses of fruits and vegetables by almost double from the current 35%.
These interventions have already resulted in an increase in export earnings from USD 43.80 million in FY 2020/21 to USD 47.05 million in FY 2021/22.
Livestock: Government has distributed, 3,256 calf heifers, 3,771,924 fingerlings (1,820,000 fingerlings of tilapia, 1,896,924 fingerlings of catfish, 55,000 fingerlings of mirror cap), 101,387 kgs of fish feed,24,121 pigs, 97,000 layers chicks, 30,000 kuroilers and 91,600 broilers among others to further improve the livelihood of the 68% and also support their migration into the Money economy.
Through NAGRIC, the Government has established poultry hatcheries in Busoga and Buganda with incubators that together have a capacity to hatch at least 9,600,000 eggs every year. Over 2.5 million chicks have been produced and availed to farmers with the main objective of promoting poultry enterprise countrywide.
Government through the National Animal Genetic Resources and Data Bank produced a total of 135,584 doses of semen at the National Bull stud and genetic evaluation center and availed to actors along the Artificial Reproductive Technology value chain to boost community breeding activities countrywide. A total of 103,619 litres of liquid nitrogen were produced and availed for use at Entebbe, Mbarara and Buikwe liquid nitrogen plants to enhance community-based breeding initiatives, synchronization protocols with better conception rates and increased availability of Liquid Nitrogen which boosted the use of Artificial Insemination.
NARO has established a livestock IVF platform to enable production of cost-effective and quality bovine embryos and boost availability of elite livestock seed. The platform, the first of its kind in Uganda, has a capacity to produce 200,000 embryos annually, at a cost of USD 100 per embryo as compared to the imported embryos that costs 300 dollars per embryo.
NAADS Procured two (2) mini dairy processing plants of 250L/batch/hour each for beneficiaries in Isingiro and Sembabule. Contracts signed in June 2022 and delivery to be completed during FY 2022/23.
NAADS completed civil works for construction of slabs and ancillary structures for 12 containerized milk coolers for Kamwenge, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo, & Kabarole.
In an attempt to improve the quality of the livestock breeds across the country, Government through NAGRIC &DB distributed 1,215 Artificial Insemination kits in Bukedi, Lango, Busoga, Acholi, Karamoja, Teso, Buganda, Kigezi, and Toro subregions.
Government through NAGRIC&DB established and operationalized a 5MT/hr feed mill in Busoga sub region to process livestock feeds (poultry layer mash, chick and duck mash, pig feeds, bull breeding mash).
Due to the above interventions, the production of milk increased by 92% from 2.81 billion litres in FY 2020/21 to 5.4 billion litres in FY 2021/22 despite the reported drought in selected milk sheds in the country.
In the same period, the export value of milk and milk products increased from USD 98.8 million in 2021 to USD 103 million in 2022. This is attributed to the intensified enforcement and compliance by the private sector to quality standards and regulations.
Licensed milk collection centers have also increased from 475 with a total installed capacity of 2.21 million litres in 2020/21 to 547 with a total estimated capacity of 2.3 million litres in 2021/22 to match rising milk production.
The production of beef increased from 228,243MT in the FY2020/21 to 230,746MT in the FY2021/22. In the calendar year 2022, the amount of beef exported was 247,234 kg valued at UGX 2.944 billion as compared to UGX 1.018 billion fetched in the year 2021.
Sugarcane: Government committed to increase sugarcane production through establishing a National Sugar Research Centre to improve sugarcane varieties for higher yields. In accordance with the Sugar Act 2020, NARO has started the process of establishing the National Sugar Research Centre. A draft cabinet Memo has been developed and is under consultations.
Rice: Government completed construction of a 3-acre mini-irrigation scheme at Namulonge to support rice research specifically to boost the production of breeder and foundation seed, and a 5-acre seed certification mini-irrigation scheme at Namalere to support seed certification of other enterprises.
Government also released 4 short maturing, drought tolerant, high yielding (4.8-7t/ha) and disease resistant varieties of rice. This is to ensure access and availability of good quality rice seed by farmers.
Government supported 49 farmer organizations (Acholi (26), East Central (10), Teso (8), Elgon (3) and Lango (2)) with rice mills to support them in value addition and the Government is in the process of procuring 5 sets of rice mills.
Cotton :Government through CDO has distributed 2,449 MT of cotton planting seed, 773,573 units of pesticides, 2,049 spray pumps and of 334 MT fertilizers (fertilizers were mainly for Prison Farms) to cotton farmers in Busoga, Bukedi, Bugisu, Teso, Lango, Acholi, West Nile, Mid-West & Central and Rwenzori Regions.
Government distributed a total of 9,384 bales of lint to two local textile manufacturers; Fine Spinners (U) Ltd (located in Bugolobi, Kampala) and Southern Range Nyanza (NYTIL) located in Njeru. The two factories employ about 4,100 people and produce yarn, finished fabrics, T-shirts, garments, uniforms, bedsheets, curtain materials, etc for both domestic and export markets.
A total of 115,975 bales of cotton were produced in 2022/23; contributing about Sh. 102 billion to cotton farmers’ incomes and US$ 37 million from lint sales.
Macadamia & Hass Avocado: With effect from FY 2022/23, NAADS started implementation of an intervention to promote and scale up the production of emerging high value strategic commodities such as; Macadamia & Hass Avocado.
NAADS has established partnerships with six (6) Hass Avocado and three (3) Macadamia nucleus farmers respectively to scale up production of the enterprises.
Accordingly, the following achievements have been realized:159,214 Macadamia seedlings were distributed to establish 1,592 acres for farmer out growers/associations in 53 DLGs under the NAADS Nucleus farmer partnership strategy for promotion and scaling up Macadamia.
444,825 Hass Avocado seedlings were delivered and distributed to establish 2,780 acres for farmer out growers/associations in 90 DLGs under the NAADS-Nucleus farmer partnership strategy for promotion and scaling up Hass Avocado.
Horticulture: Government partnered with the private sector dealing in horticulture through their umbrella organization (Hortifresh). The Main objective of this partnership is to support the private sector self-regulate and also create awareness amongst the producers and exporters of horticulture on both the agronomic and post-harvest handling practices. This has resulted in a reduction in Uganda’s agriculture products consignments resulting in rejections due to prohibited organisms, and failed to comply with maximum pesticide residue levels by 90%.
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