National Animal Genetic Resources Centre unveil plan to support PDM beneficiaries
The Minister of State for Animal Industry, Bright Kanyontore Rwamirama, on Friday, August 14, launched five institutional documents designed to turn policy commitments into results for farmers at NAGRC&DB headquarters in Entebbe.
The Minister of State for Animal Industry Bright Kanyontore Rwamirama, during the launch on Friday, August, 14. (Courtesy)
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National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) has unveiled a five-year Strategic and Investment Plan (SIB) to expand access to affordable, high-performance breeding stock for Parish Development Model (PDM) farmers, while strengthening service delivery and accountability
The Minister of State for Animal Industry, Bright Kanyontore Rwamirama, on Friday, August 14, launched five institutional documents designed to turn policy commitments into results for farmers at NAGRC&DB headquarters in Entebbe.
The Minister called on NAGRC&DB to use the instruments to strengthen accountability, improve service delivery, promote modern animal breeding technologies and increase livestock productivity. He urged staff of NAGRC&DB, a semi-autonomous body under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries established under the Animal Breeding Act, 2001, to ensure the new direction translates into visible benefits for farmers and other stakeholders.
Together, documents, link national breeding priorities to how NAGRC&DB plans, serves clients, measures performance and shares knowledge. They are the Client Charter (FY2025/26 to 2029/30); the Service Delivery Standards (FY2025/26 to 2029/30); the Uganda National Animal Breeding Strategy and Action Plan (NABSAP); the Strategic and Investment Plan (2025/26 to 2029/30); and the Communication and Knowledge Management Strategy (2026/27 to 2030/31).
NABSAP is the flagship framework for transforming animal breeding into a productive, inclusive, climate-resilient and economically sustainable contributor to Uganda's development. Published in 2026, it guides the sustainable use, development and conservation of animal genetic resources, responding to persistent constraints: low genetic productivity, weak breeding infrastructure, limited access to quality breeding materials, uncontrolled cross-breeding, climate shocks and inadequate identification and traceability systems.
Strategic and investment plan
The Strategic and Investment Plan translates the national breeding direction into NAGRC&DB's medium-term priorities, investments and expected results. For the period covering 2025/26 to 2029/30, the plan commits the agency to accelerating the breeding and multiplication of productive, farmer-preferred dairy and beef cattle, goats, pigs, poultry and fish to increase access and affordability. It also prioritises the conservation of indigenous animal genetic resources, production of quality and affordable animal feeds, and stronger institutional capacity for efficient service delivery.
Under the Plan, NAGRC&DB is also tasked to support farmers participating in the Parish Development Model (PDM) by making farmer-preferred, high-performance livestock breeds available at highly subsidised prices for wealth creation. Particular emphasis will be placed on providing breeding stock for dairy cattle, piggery and poultry enterprises.
According to the document, NAGRC&DB's farms and ranches will serve as breeding, multiplication and technology-transfer hubs, working with local governments, farmer organisations and relevant PDM structures to reach beneficiaries. By connecting PDM financing with quality breeding stock and technical guidance on breeding, feeding and enterprise management, the intervention is expected to support productive and sustainable livestock enterprises.
Progress under the Strategic and Investment Plan will be monitored through indicators tracking the livestock breeds and poultry genetic resources introduced, multiplied and made available to PDM farmers.
The Client Charter and Service Delivery Standards make NAGRC&DB's service commitments answerable to the public. The Charter functions as a social contract between NAGRC&DB and its clients, setting out services, rights, obligations and commitments, as well as channels for feedback, complaints, monitoring and continuous improvement. Under the Charter, complaints must be acknowledged within 48 hours, while those requiring investigation must be concluded within 14 days.
The Service Delivery Standards translate those commitments into measurable benchmarks. These include attending to clients within five minutes of their arrival at service points, responding to written correspondence within five working days, and providing clear, accurate, timely and relevant information. Together, the two documents give farmers, livestock breeders, suppliers and other clients a clear basis for knowing what to expect, raising concerns and assessing NAGRC&DB's performance.
Speaking on behalf of the Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Eng. Robert Ssenozi, the Board member representing farmers in the Central Region, framed the occasion as a commitment to action rather than ceremony: the “launch is not just about unveiling documents. It is about launching possibilities,” he said.
He tied those possibilities to NAGRC&DB's mandate to lead the commercialisation of animal breeding and to undertake activities that improve animal genetics and productivity.
Dr Israel Mugezi, Senior Planner, Agriculture, who represented the Director of the National Planning Authority, underscored the need for a competitive and sustainable animal industry built on climate-resilient, high-yielding and affordable genetics, linking this to sustaining Uganda's export base for value-added products such as milk powder, and to the value-addition agenda of the Agro-Industrialisation Programme under the Fourth National Development Plan.
According to NAGRC&DB, taken together, the five instruments form a single, coordinated framework: NABSAP sets the national breeding direction; the Strategic and Investment Plan defines NAGRC&DB's priorities and investments, including support to PDM farmers; the Service Delivery Standards specify performance benchmarks; the Client Charter establishes accountability to users; and the Communication and Knowledge Management Strategy keeps information, feedback and lessons flowing across the system.
Implementation should therefore be visible at the point where farmers and clients meet the agency: more accessible and affordable quality breeding materials, better information, timely and respectful service, transparent complaint handling, stronger conservation of indigenous genetic resources, and clear reporting on results. That is the practical measure the Minister set, and the standard by which the launch should ultimately be judged, in farmers' livelihoods and in the transformation of Uganda's livestock sector.