Ugandan farmers should tap into the ready market

According to the recent food security reports released by, among others, the International Food Policy Research Institute; Uganda remains ahead in the region as far as food security is concerned.

It is this standing that Ugandan farmers must use to, not just feed the hungry across the region, but also earn good money. For example, the South Sudanese market is still virgin and Uganda has what it takes to own it.

Under the Prosperity For All programme of 2009, the Government’s target was to transform the majority of farmers from a subsistence to commercial level and raise the national average family income to at least sh20m per year.

This is possible and there are some farmers already getting this income from either single or a combination of enterprises like dairy keeping, poultry keeping and growing of crops like tea, cocoa, rice, palm oil, coffee, fruits and vegetables.
Uganda’s future success and global importance depends on its continued economic progress.

In sub-Saharan Africa, Rwanda, Tanzania and Botswana have made signifi cant economic strides andare challenging Uganda. However, Uganda is not doing enough to sustain the economic pace.

Uganda has got a signifi cant advantage over many of these countries, which is its agricultural potential. We must work to revitalise Uganda’s agricultural sector, which employs more than 70% of Ugandans.

As a country, we also have to commit to supporting a new strategy focusing predominantly on reducing famine, poverty and poor nutrition. To achieve this, we need to adopt new methods and technologies.

We can also initiate programmes to enhance Uganda’s ability to meet its food needs and reduce its reliance on imported food during times of hunger. For the food that we have, we must improve on its distribution. It is common to have bananas rotting in the gardens in western Uganda and at the same time have people starving in the eastern part of the country.

Ready markets In recent times, the Middle East has grown as a destination for Uganda’s exports. However, such a market needs to be explored more through increased and aggressive trade promotional programmes.

For example, it has been said that goats from Uganda have got a good market in the Middle East. If the country can sustain the demand of at least 50,000 goats per month, then the market ‘is ours’. But again, the Government promises that the goats will be delivered only to fail. The fact that there is a ready market is the reason we must take up goat keeping today.

According to the 2009 National Livestock Census, there were around 12.5 million goats in the country. In fact, there were one million more goats than cattle and three times more goats than pigs. This is quite a number and one may wonder why a country with 12 million goats cannot supply at least 50,000 goats monthly.

This is until you realise that 98.5% of these goats are indigenous breeds, whose kidding and growth abilities are low. The Government should, therefore, encourage goat farmers to adopt improved breeds as a step towards meeting the regional and Middle East demand.

Uganda has also got an advantage in the fi eld of food production. In Kenya, reports indicate that the country will have a maize defi cit because of a volatile rainy season. And whenever Kenya has a maize defi cit, they turn to Uganda.

This is certainly good news for Ugandan farmers and they should make their agriculture comparative advantage tell.

In Europe, Uganda’s organic fruits have got a ready market. However, like the goats, the country has failed to meet the required quantities. Pineapple farmers in Luwero, Kayunga and Mityana have got the potential to produce more for whatever markets.

They only need to be supported. Mango farmers in Teso and West- Nile can produce enough mangoes to sustain the regional juice processing industries. Cassava farmers across the Lake Kyoga region and banana farmers in western Uganda can also produce much more as long as they are supported.

Agriculture financing must improve Ugandan farmers mainly need financial support. The national budget, including the one that is to be read soon, allocates big amounts of money to farmers as ‘soft’ and ‘easily accessible’ loans.

However, most farmers cannot access them because of the tough conditions. Banking institutions, through which these loans are disbursed, must relax these conditions.

Lastly, funds directly allocated to the agriculture sector must be seen to improve, from just about 4.5% of the budget to around 10%. With better funding, farming will become more rewarding. Mechanisation will increase, value addition will improve and wealth will fl ow into farming families.

The writer is the Member of Parliament for Bubulo County