MPS call for subsidies on agricultural inputs

Apr 29, 2016

This was during a tour last Thursday of the National Research Crop Resources Research Institute (NACRRI), Namulonge by MPs on the parliamentary committee on agriculture.

Members of Parliament have appealed to government to subsidise agricultural inputs to enable farmers in rural areas improve their yields.

This was during a tour last Thursday of the National Research Crop Resources Research Institute (NACRRI), Namulonge by MPs on the parliamentary committee on agriculture.

The Ngora county MP, Dr. Francis Epetait, said subsidies on agricultural products will enable rural farmers produce their own seeds for planting and selling.

"Our farmers have been suffering a lot, especially when it comes to buying seeds for planting as some of the seeds on the market are fake and not resistant to diseases," Epetait said.

Responding to the MPs concerns, Dr. Imelda Kashaija, the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), deputy director general in-charge of technology and innovation support, said that government has started working with small scale rural farmers in northern and eastern Uganda to produce clean seeds for planting.

She said this was started two years ago in a pilot project supported by NARO. Eventually it will be rolled out to different parts of the country.

She said once the project spreads to the entire country, farmers will be able to access clean seeds at subsidised costs.

Atwooki Kasirivu, the Bugangaizi West MP, advised NACRRI researchers to share their findings and challenges with parliament and the government to bolster support.

"We need to know some of the challenges and findings," he said. "Once we are aware of them, it will be easy to make a case for you before parliament," he said.

According to Dr Titus Aligai, the NACRRI head of crops research, the centre has over the past two years released over 42 new drought and pest resistant varieties of beans, maize and cassava. He said some of the varieties are also rich in proteins and nutrition.

Minoru Yoshino, the chief advisor of Promotion of Rice Development (PRiDe) project, told the MPs that agricultural mechanisation is a big challenge to the modernisation of agriculture in Uganda.

PRiDe project which is supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is carrying out research to improve rice growing and encourage the use of simple locally manufactured machinery.

 

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