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KAMPALA - The Ambassador of Italy to Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi, Mauro Massoni, has rallied Ugandans to embrace agricultural mechanization to foster economic growth in the country.

Agricultural mechanisation involves the application of mechanical technology to enhance the productivity of labour in agriculture.

This includes the use of various types of tractors, animal-powered and human-powered implements, internal combustion engines, and other energy sources.

Massoni said mechanisation will help Uganda increase its productivity hence increasing the amount of business orders that come in since there will be the capability to meet the demand.

“With mechanisation, all land in Uganda can be utilised resourcefully to plant a variety of crops on a much bigger land,” he said.

The diplomat made the remarks while opening a one-day meeting for agricultural stakeholders on the improvement of agro mechanisation that was organised by the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation at Protea Hotel on March 21, 2024.

Massoni encouraged all Ugandans, especially youth to take advantage of the fertility of their soils to carry out agriculture to improve livelihoods.

He narrated that when he was posted to Uganda, he came with three seeds of Italian salads that he planted in his backyard; however, he was surprised that these grew well in 20 days.

“Uganda is really a land blessed by God, I have never seen land where you plant any seeds and they grow up fast with very little effort.”

He said he believes that the future of the country will for long depend on agriculture.
Massoni said his government and Uganda are currently crafting a project on how they can help the country to add value to its coffee before export in order to increase the money gotten from it.

The ambassador further asked all Ugandans to intensify the promotion of Ugandan products outside the country to attract bigger markets.

Why agro mechanisation

Fabio Ricci the Deputy Director General Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, said by mechanising agriculture, Ugandans can be assured of increased productivity and yields.

“With mechanisation, a farmer also reduces on the farm inputs like seeds, fertiliser,” he said.

He added that “Once one gets high quality, durable and reliable machinery, one can benefit from a shorter return on investment.”

(L-R) H.E Mauro Massoni the Ambassador of Italy to Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi interacts with Riccardo Zucconi, the Director of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), and Fabio Ricci, the Deputy Director General Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation. This was during a meeting for agricultural stakeholders on the improvement of agro mechanisation that was organized by the Italian Trade Agency and Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation at Protea Hotel Kampala on March 21, 2024. (All Photos by Lawrence Mulondo)

Ricci further said farmers can control soil erosion and increase the fertility of the soil by introducing different equipment.

Ricci said Uganda has a young generation that is more familiar with the latest technology adding that if these are given basic training they can operate even the most sophisticated machines.

He said most of the agro machinery is environmentally friendly as they can preserve natural resources like water and soil nutrients.

Riccardo Zucconi, the director of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) said if Ugandans adopt mechanisations they will be able to get quality produce that can meet trade standards of different world markets.

“If the mechanisation and techniques used in the cultivation are modern, there will be a benefit for the primary agricultural sector as a whole,” he said.

What govt says

Eng. Francis Waneloba Songoni from the agriculture ministry noted that they have the mandate to improve the quality and productivity of the sector, especially through mechanisation and irrigation.

He however said, “The gaps in mechanisation are enormous. Uganda has had slightly over 6000 tractors registered since independence including the broken-down ones.”

Songoni said although the government has had several engagements with different stakeholders, it is still a challenge to access machinery from far away since it comes with costs that make it unaffordable for some people.

He added that they are encouraging assembling processes in Uganda as they work on having the production of certain machines to bring down production costs.

Songoni said the country has a lot of walking tractors that farmers are using, however they are getting an unbalance between quality and host.

“It is very difficult to increase the mechanism rapidly when the cost is very high, however, we are engaging stakeholders to bring costs down for tractors whether single axle or the four-wheeled tractors,” he explained.

He said the government is also doing a lot of training to build the capacity of Ugandans to operate, manage, and maintain machines.

What farmers say

Alfred Kiiza a Hass avocado and macadamia farmer asked development partners like Italy to help the country get cottage industry machines that can enable every home to start making an income.

He said Ugandans produce a lot of perishable fruits and vegetables that end up wasted due to a lack of value-added equipment.

“We are not asking for free things, smallerholder farmers are ready to buy the machines as long as they are genuine and affordable."

Gift Kamusiime, a mushroom cultivator said they face many challenges when it comes to affordable storage and packaging machinery when it comes to value addition.