Uganda targets faster-maturing maize to boost highland yields
Uganda currently produces about five million tonnes of maize annually, but the Government is targeting 10 million tonnes within five years.
Dr Sadik Kassim (extreme left) with NARO director general Dr Yona Baguma (centre) during a handover of a certificate to a seed distributor. (Courtesy Photo)
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The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) says it is developing fast-maturing maize varieties suited to the country’s highland areas.
Dr Sadik Kassim, NARO’s deputy director general in charge of technology promotion, said the move is part of efforts to scale up cereal production, improve food security and increase farmers’ incomes.
Uganda currently produces about five million tonnes of maize annually, but the Government is targeting 10 million tonnes within five years.
Kassim said maize grown in the highlands takes considerably longer to mature because of the cooler conditions, limiting the number of cropping cycles farmers can undertake.
“In the highlands, ordinary maize varieties can take almost five to six months from planting to harvest,” Kassim said.
He said NARO is breeding highland-adaptable varieties that can mature within 90 to 120 days.
Kassim made the remarks on the sidelines of the AgriConnect Compact stakeholder engagement at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala on August 19, 2026.
He said the breeding programme will also focus on varieties that can withstand ecological stresses common in highland areas, including drought, floods, pests and diseases.
The researchers are also targeting maize with high starch content and other quality traits suitable for ethanol production and other industrial applications.
Kassim said shortening the maturity period could help farmers increase production without necessarily expanding their landholdings.
He said the initiative is being aligned with the proposed AgriConnect Compact, a five-year cooperation framework being developed between the Government and the World Bank to address gaps across Uganda’s agricultural value chains.
Kassim said increased investment in mechanisation, irrigation, aflatoxin control and digital extension services would be critical to unlocking the commercial potential of maize.
“Maize ranks second only to coffee in its potential for income generation, food security and industrialisation,” he said.
“If we strengthen key value chains to create sustainable agricultural jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, we will address unemployment while guaranteeing national food self-sufficiency.”
The three-day AgriConnect stakeholder engagement, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in partnership with development partners, including the World Bank, is intended to identify high-impact investments in agriculture.
The consultations are also focusing on policy and institutional reforms that can increase private-sector participation, strengthen agribusiness and mobilise investment across key value chains.
AgriConnect is a World Bank Group initiative aimed at helping smallholder farmers move from subsistence production to surplus by improving access to markets, finance, cooperatives, technology and digital tools.
The World Bank Group has pledged to double its financing to $9 billion annually and mobilise an additional $5 billion to support the initiative.