FAO director general in Uganda for technical survey in agriculture

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Qu Dongyu, the director general of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), is in Uganda for a three-day working visit aimed, among other things, at assessing the country's agriculture sector and drawing possible lessons from Uganda's resilience in the food chain.

Dongyu arrived at Entebbe Airport on Monday, July 21, where he was welcomed by agriculture state minister Lt Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama and permanent secretary in the agriculture ministry Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama.

Together with other officials, the visiting delegation was later received at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) headquarters in Entebbe, where the FAO director general addressed some of the staff in the agriculture sector. The UN official lauded Uganda's commitment to ensuring food safety and supply.

"Now you're at a stage where you have to use science and innovation to drive and improve profitability, plus competitiveness in the agriculture sector, and together with FAO, we can speed this up," Dongyu encouraged.

He called for global cooperation, especially in the fight against diseases among livestock, noting that diseases do not respect country borders.

The FAO Director General further noted that Uganda has made great achievements with its agriculture policy, which is well-tailored to address the country’s agricultural challenges.

"Therefore, I have also come to learn from the president and the agriculture minister," he stated.

Dongyu appealed for more innovative approaches that can help Ugandan farmers earn sufficient profits from their toil and sweat. Minister Rwamirama said Dongyu's visit to Uganda was initiated by FAO.

"As a country, we are very proud that the Director has come. FAO has been pivotal in covering our budgetary gaps, and we have thus registered tremendous success in various commodity value chains, including dairy, coffee, among other food nutrition security enterprises," Rwamirama stated.

Maj. Gen. Kasura, the MAAIF permanent secretary, noted that the FAO director general was due to visit President Museveni at State House in Entebbe before meeting some of Uganda's Cabinet ministers, including the Ministers for Local Government, Foreign Affairs, Water and Environment, as well as Uganda’s Ambassador to Italy.

During his three-day stay, the UN official will also visit the Namulonge Crops Resources Research Institute and the National Livestock Resources Research Institute in Wakiso district.

Other delegates who accompanied the FAO director general include Maximo Torero, the FAO chief economist; Abebe Haile Gabriel, the FAO assistant director general in charge of Africa; Donata Rugabaramu, the assistant director general in charge of legal; Lineo Molise, the FAO regional coordinator for Africa; Shen Hong, assistant to the director general; and Yergalem Beraki, the country representative to Uganda.