Fertiliser policy launched to boost agriculture productivity

The agriculture sector which employs over 70% of the Ugandan population has been facing a decline in productivity over the last five years.

One of the reasons identified for this decline is the low use rate or absent use of inorganic fertilisers.

In 2015/16, agriculture recorded a growth rate of 3.2% compared to 4% for industry and 6.5% in the services sector.

The poor performance in agriculture is having ripple effects in the economy which is felt through constrained wealth creation and low domestic private consumption of goods and services.

Mildred Barungi, an economist at the Economic Policy Research Center said Uganda's annual soil nutrient depletion rate stands at an average of 87 kgs of nutrients (NPK) per hectare per year. These nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) or NPK for short. This can be broken down into a loss of 38 kgs of N; 17 kgs of P and 32 kgs of K.

This was during the launch of the National Fertiliser Policy which took place in Kampala on Monday.

Barungi explained that in Uganda the application rate of about 2 kg of nutrients per hectare per year is too low. "An average of 200 kg per hectare of inorganic fertiliser need to be applied annually to replenish the soil nutrients and boost agricultural productivity," she said.

She added that on-farm crop yields are reported to be three time less than the attainable potential yields. She noted that the implications of the unacceptably low levels of soil nutrients and fertiliser use pose challenges for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals 1 & 2 of ending extreme poverty and attainment of zero hunger by 2030.

She further said Uganda cannot attain its target of exporting 20 million bags of coffee per year by 2020 from the current 3.5 m bags per year if the challenge of low soil fertility is not addressed.

Agriculture, animal industry and fisheries minister Vincent Ssempijja admitted that many challenges were facing the sector were well known and solutions were needed.

Sempijja who was represented by Beatrice Byarugaba, director agriculture extension services said Uganda's agriculture sector was private sector led for transformation to take place farmer groups need to be organized.

Byarugaba launched the National Fertilizer Policy. She said it brings together all related regulations into a single and comprehensive policy framework on fertilizer.

She said the policy provides guidelines on how to use inorganic fertilisers and how to tackle climate change while using inorganic fertilisers.

The mission of the policy is to have a fertiliser industry that provides affordable and accessible fertilisers to the farmers for increased and sustainable agricultural productivity and farm income.

This policy brings together all the related fragmented regulations into a single comprehensive policy framework on fertilisers. It was developed by the ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries, in close collaboration with the Economic Policy Research Center, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, academic, media, civil society and Parliament. The policy was approved by Cabinet in May 2016.