Agric. & Environment
Minister Tumwebaze in Egypt to push for major farming projects
Tumwebaze arrived in Cairo on Sunday (July 26) with his delegation to meet their counterparts to discuss clear strategies and timelines for implementing the projects.
Uganda’s agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze with an Egyptian official. Tumwebaze arrived in Cairo on Sunday (July 26) with his delegation to meet their counterparts to discuss clear strategies and timelines for implementing the projects. (Courtesy)
By: Umar Kashaka, Journalist @New Vision
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Uganda’s agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze is in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to push for various agreed-upon major farming projects between the two countries.
The projects are in areas of fish and poultry farming, agricultural research, as well as setting up a Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine manufacturing factory in Uganda.
Tumwebaze arrived in Cairo on Sunday (July 26) with his delegation to meet their counterparts to discuss clear strategies and timelines for implementing the projects.
(Courtesy)
Upon his arrival, the minister took to his X (formerly Twitter) platform and described the move as part of the follow-up process in implementing decisions made by the two heads of state in Kampala in May this year, during the state visit of Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
“One of the advanced collaboration projects we hope to sign and conclude during this visit is the setting up of timelines for the groundbreaking of the FMD [vaccine] manufacturing factory in Uganda,” he said.
Tumwebaze thanked Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for the efforts he made through his military diplomatic relations with Egypt.
The minister noted that Gen. Kainerugaba pioneered the efforts to first get a reliable supply of FMD vaccines from Egypt and later secured a decision to set up an in-country FMD vaccine manufacturing facility.
“Already, a lot of groundwork has been covered through scientific research collaboration between the Egyptian and our own National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) scientists,” he said.
In particular, Tumwebaze said NARO scientists working together with their Egyptian counterparts have managed to isolate and produce SAT 1 (One of the distinct serotypes of the FMD virus) vaccine, which will be used or mixed in the factory with other strains to produce a quadrivalent vaccine complete enough to protect susceptible animal herds against all FMD strains.
“With the availability of FMD vaccines and strict compliance by farmers to mandatory vaccination calendars, we hope to effectively control FMD in Uganda in the short-term and later fully eradicate it in the medium and long term,” noted Tumwebaze.
The minister and his team held discussions with his counterpart, Alaa El Din Farouk, the Egyptian minister of agriculture and land reclamation.
“Looking forward to a productive week of engagements and resolutions on precise points of action. God bless our two countries and our leaders!” Tumwebaze added.
“Already, a lot of groundwork has been covered through scientific research collaboration between the Egyptian and our own National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) scientists,” he said.
In particular, Tumwebaze said NARO scientists working together with their Egyptian counterparts have managed to isolate and produce SAT 1 (One of the distinct serotypes of the FMD virus) vaccine, which will be used or mixed in the factory with other strains to produce a quadrivalent vaccine complete enough to protect susceptible animal herds against all FMD strains.
“With the availability of FMD vaccines and strict compliance by farmers to mandatory vaccination calendars, we hope to effectively control FMD in Uganda in the short-term and later fully eradicate it in the medium and long term,” noted Tumwebaze.
The minister and his team held discussions with his counterpart, Alaa El Din Farouk, the Egyptian minister of agriculture and land reclamation.
“Looking forward to a productive week of engagements and resolutions on precise points of action. God bless our two countries and our leaders!” Tumwebaze added.