Calls for more gov't funds to fight foot-and-mouth disease

Francis Emorut

KAMPALA - MPs sitting on the agriculture parliamentary committee have urged government to increase budget funds to combat the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).

This was after calls by civil society for government to stop the selling of meat in the cattle corridors if it cannot increase funds to combat the infectious disease.

The disease affects cloven-hoofed animals and presents severe implications for animal farming.

Bungangaizi MP Atwooki Kasirivu, who sits on the committee, said government should prioritize disease control as it “is the biggest challenge in the agriculture sector”.

Another legislator, Kongasis MP Nelson Sabila said: "Disease control for livestock continues to be neglected year after year and yet is critical to fight foot-and-mouth disease.”

Yumbe Woman MP Huda Oleru, who is the vice chairperson of the committee, said more money is needed for vaccination to fight such diseases as FMD and banana wilt.

These remarks bubbled to the fore during a meeting in Kampala for the MPs to receive proposals by the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group towards the budget for the agriculture sector.
 

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Yumbe Woman MP Huda Oleru (left) receiving a copy of the civil society budget advocacy group. Holding microphone is Julius Mukunda, then Christine Adong and Charles Olweny. (Photo credit: Francis Emorut)

Julius Mukunda, the coordinator of the group, said the sector’s budgetary proportion for the financial year 2015/2016 should be increased, especially that five risk factors for foot-and-mouth disease have been identified by the sector baseline.

Marilyn Kabalere, advocacy officer of Participatory Ecological Land Use Management, spoke of the need to do bi-annual vaccination for five years to wipe out the disease.

Another area of concern raised was of value addition, with the group saying that government has allocated little money amounting to sh15b instead of the required sh35b.

During the presentation of the proposals to the MPs, Patrick Katabazi, a budget specialist pointed out that it is pointless hyping about increasing production and productivity without taking into account necessary steps for value addition.

"It should be noted that increasing production without strategies for value addition will mean that our exports will remain raw material-oriented rather than processed.”

He noted that it is critical to increase production and productivity to support farmers across the entire value chain.

While MPs hailed the advocacy group for raising the issues to benefit farmers, they also recommended that more research and reviews of existing study policies be done.

On foot-and-mouth disease control, the civil society group underlined the need for vigilance in surveillance activities in animal disease and control.