UGANDA | NARO | NaGRIC&DB | SEEDS

To make it simple for farmers to get seeds, the government has given the National Agriculture Research Organization NARO and the NaGRIC&DB the job of producing new seeds and making them available on the market.

Currently, seed firms purchase foundation seed from NARO, multiply it, and then sell it to the market. However, the quantities are typically insufficient, and occasionally the quality suffers in the process.

Frank Tumwebaze, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, performed the duty at Namulonge's World Food Day ceremonies.

Prof Tukamuhabwe Displayed The Different Soybean Varieties And Value Added Products At The Wfd Celebrations

According to Tumwebaze, the action will guarantee the quality and availability of seed, both of which are essential for maintaining the nation's food output.

Additionally, he urged scientists to continue creating the types so that farmers and other intended recipients might use them.

Existing crop varieties on the market

Dr. Yona Baguma from NARO claims that over 100 high-yielding crop varieties, including 32 varieties of maize, 24 varieties of beans, 9 varieties of rice, 4 varieties of sorghum, and 9 varieties of cassava, have been developed by NARO over the past 10 years and are now commercially produced in the nation.

Among others, there are 10 types of coffee, 5 variations of mangos, 8 varieties of sweet potatoes, and 3 varieties of citrus.

Millet Seed At Wfd Celebrations

Baguma stated that the adoption and development of this resilient to-stress and high-yielding cultivars had increased the nation's productivity and output.

For instance, the production of milled rice has increased from 110,000 metric tons per year in 2008 to 390,000 metric tons per year in 2020, exceeding the previous national average yield of 1 ton per hectare.

Production of maize climbed from 2.8 million MT in 2014 to 5 million MT in 2020, while productivity improved from 2.5 MT to 3.7 MT per hectare.

Bean production climbed from 444,000MT in 2006 to over 1,000,000MT in 2020, while bean productivity increased from 0.7MT/ha in 2012 to 1.3MT/ha in 2019.

Coffee productivity increased to 3.9 tons per hectare thanks in part to wilt disease-resistant types, as opposed to the disease-vulnerable species' average yield of 1.5 tons per hectare.

The export of maize climbed from 278,693MT in 2016 to 750,000MT in 2019 (MAAIF, 2019), while the export of beans increased to USD80M in 2018, all of which helped to offset imports.

The theme of this year's celebrations was "Leave No One Behind." Better Life, Better Environment, Better Nutrition, and Better Production.