Uganda to get rice research centre
Mar 23, 2009
UGANDA has received a $6m (about sh12b) grant from Japan to construct a rice research centre at the Namulonge Crops Research Institute in Wakiso district. The research will focus on New Rice for Africa, a high-yielding, early-maturing species promoted by
By Herbert Ssempogo
UGANDA has received a $6m (about sh12b) grant from Japan to construct a rice research centre at the Namulonge Crops Research Institute in Wakiso district. The research will focus on New Rice for Africa, a high-yielding, early-maturing species promoted by Japan.
Finance minister Syda Bbumba yesterday signed the grant agreement, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency representative, Seki Tetsuo, signed for his country.
The function, attended by the former Japanese Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, was held at the finance ministry headquarters in Kampala.
Bbumba noted that promotion of research in rice was in line with the Government’s Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture.
“Uganda is centrally positioned to produce food for the region. Rice is one of the crops needed to feed the region,†she stated.
Regional trade based on agricultural produce, Bbumba observed, would be a stimulus for economic growth. She hoped that the centre would increase productivity and improve quality of rice grown in Uganda.
Bbumba hailed Japan for its “unending support to Ugandaâ€.
Ugandans consume about 160,000 tonnes of rice pear year. Government officials, among them Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, are promoting upland rice.
Japan ambassador Kato Keiichi said three experts from his country had been training farmers. “The (research) project will re-enforce this facility in terms of its capacity, technology and human resource,†he explained.
Research into rice, he stressed, was one of the priority sectors of cooperation between Uganda and the Far East country.
Later in the day, Fukuda met President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Nakasero.
Museveni commended Japan for its support to develop Uganda’s infrastructure. The government of Japan is carrying out a feasibility study on the construction of the Nile Bridge in Jinja and a study on Ayago North hydro-power dam.
Museveni said Uganda was focusing on energy and roads development and welcomed more assistance to this effort.
He invited the Japanese private sector to invest in textiles, minerals and agro-processing. He said costs such as electricity would soon come down because the Government was aggressively working on them.
On the global financial crisis, Museveni said although sales were going down elsewhere in the world, in Africa they were going up.
“Our challenge is to have cheap energy, transport and a railway network as well as adding value to our products,†he said.
“Africa is a growing market, it has been under-consuming,†he added. “Africa will be part of the solution to this global financial crisis.â€
UGANDA has received a $6m (about sh12b) grant from Japan to construct a rice research centre at the Namulonge Crops Research Institute in Wakiso district. The research will focus on New Rice for Africa, a high-yielding, early-maturing species promoted by Japan.
Finance minister Syda Bbumba yesterday signed the grant agreement, while the Japan International Cooperation Agency representative, Seki Tetsuo, signed for his country.
The function, attended by the former Japanese Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, was held at the finance ministry headquarters in Kampala.
Bbumba noted that promotion of research in rice was in line with the Government’s Plan for Modernisation of Agriculture.
“Uganda is centrally positioned to produce food for the region. Rice is one of the crops needed to feed the region,†she stated.
Regional trade based on agricultural produce, Bbumba observed, would be a stimulus for economic growth. She hoped that the centre would increase productivity and improve quality of rice grown in Uganda.
Bbumba hailed Japan for its “unending support to Ugandaâ€.
Ugandans consume about 160,000 tonnes of rice pear year. Government officials, among them Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, are promoting upland rice.
Japan ambassador Kato Keiichi said three experts from his country had been training farmers. “The (research) project will re-enforce this facility in terms of its capacity, technology and human resource,†he explained.
Research into rice, he stressed, was one of the priority sectors of cooperation between Uganda and the Far East country.
Later in the day, Fukuda met President Yoweri Museveni at State House, Nakasero.
Museveni commended Japan for its support to develop Uganda’s infrastructure. The government of Japan is carrying out a feasibility study on the construction of the Nile Bridge in Jinja and a study on Ayago North hydro-power dam.
Museveni said Uganda was focusing on energy and roads development and welcomed more assistance to this effort.
He invited the Japanese private sector to invest in textiles, minerals and agro-processing. He said costs such as electricity would soon come down because the Government was aggressively working on them.
On the global financial crisis, Museveni said although sales were going down elsewhere in the world, in Africa they were going up.
“Our challenge is to have cheap energy, transport and a railway network as well as adding value to our products,†he said.
“Africa is a growing market, it has been under-consuming,†he added. “Africa will be part of the solution to this global financial crisis.â€