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Museveni Commends Agricultural Scientists

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He saluted Ugandan scientists for developing a long list of improved seed varieties with higher yields and enhanced resilience.
12 Jan 2025 17:30
Kaguta

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President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has underscored the pivotal role of scientific research in triggering agriculture as a tool for social- economic transformation.

Speaking at the just concluded extraordinary summit of Heads of States and Governments of the African Union, Museveni commended scientists for the strides scored in agricultural innovation.

“Through Scientific research, (we) ensure good quality seeds.  I salute our Scientists for developing a long list of improved seed varieties with higher yields and enhanced resilience to diseases and drought. “President Museveni noted.   

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He said the government has also been urging farmers to use fertilizers to restore the nutrients in the soil. Adding the government has also embarked on soil mapping to determine what crops can grow well in which part of the country.   

He said it has been a deliberate strategy by Government to support agricultural research in the quest to transition from pre-capitalist, pre-socialist traditional mode to modern commercial agriculture. 

Museveni said he has also been discouraging land fragmentations on inheritance. “Because it creates land with disability. Land that can no longer do certain enterprises because of the smallness,” he said.  

He said with all those measures, Africa will become a superpower economically.

“Since ancient times, this part of Africa had strong agriculture. We always had two harvests in a year.  The harvest of Katumba, the season of March to end of May and Omwaka, the biggest harvest of August to December. All this was with tradition technology and rain-fed agriculture,” he said

Involvement of the Army in Seed Distribution   President Museveni said in order to launch Uganda’s agriculture on the journey of social economic transformation mode away from the pre-capitalist, pre-socialist modes t modern commercial agriculture, his leadership to promote some of the latest scientific innovation. This he explained has been the reason why the UPDF has been involved in the distribution of technologies like improved coffee seedlings among others.

“Sixty seven percent of the homesteads in Uganda are now in the money economy for the first time in the human history. At independence, only nine percent were in the money economy. By 2023 only 32% were in the money economy. That is why I had to involve the army to distribute seedlings,” he said.

Most of the seedlings distributed under NAADS and Operation Wealth Creation were developed by Ugandan scientists under NARO.  

Begging Ugandans to grow coffee.

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Statistics from the just disbanded Uganda Coffee Development Authority indicated that alongside other traded commodities, coffee is the largest contributor to exports, which for Financial Year 2017/18 was valued at US$ 492 million, representing 16% of total exports. In terms of volumes, it said Uganda was 1st

Commonwealth producer, 2nd African producer and 8th world producer in the world.

NARO innovations in Uganda      

These innovations, he emphasized, are laying a strong foundation for agricultural modernization across the country. The 4th CAADP Biannual review report 205-2023 identified Uganda among the countries that had excelled in the growth rate of the ratio of supplied quality inputs for crops (seed), livestock (breed), and fisheries (fingerlings).  

It measured the extent to which quality inputs were utilized to boost production of the considered commodities. The other countries that met the target were the following: Burundi, Gambia, Ghana, Rwanda, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

Over the last 30 years, the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) has developed a remarkable portfolio of over 1,000 technologies, innovations and management practices including high-yielding and drought, disease and climate-resilient crop varieties, which have positioned Uganda as a key player in agricultural innovation within the East African region and globally.

Notably, NARO has played a critical role in improving productivity, especially among Uganda’s staple crops, including coffee, bananas, cassava, maize, beans, groundnuts, millet, sorghum, rice, sweet potato, cowpeas, sunflower, sesame/simsim and tea.

In the coffee sector, the introduction of 10 coffee wilt disease-resistant varieties since 2007 led to a resurgence in production, from a low of 2 million bags in 2005/06 to 8 million bags by 2021. 

In 2023/24, Uganda's coffee export earnings reached a record high of $1.14 billion, largely attributed to increased productivity and quality. Similarly, in maize production, NARO has released over 50 varieties, including 26 stress-tolerant hybrids between 2010 and 2020, contributing to a steady increase in annual maize production to over 4 million metric tons. In response to Banana Bacterial Wilt (BBW), NARO released banana varieties such as the FHIA series, which are resistant to the disease and provide better yields. 

In the case of cassava, NARO released 19 disease-resistant varieties and are in cultivation, including NASE 3, NASE 14, and NARO-CASS 1, which are resistant to Cassava Mosaic Disease and Cassava Brown Streak Disease. 

These improved varieties have significantly contributed to stabilizing cassava production and ensuring food security for millions of Ugandans. In rice production, NARO's efforts to promote 20 high-yielding rice varieties, such as NARORICE 1-4, have helped increase rice productivity from a national average of 1.2 tons/ha to 2.2 tons/ha for upland rice and 2.5 tons/ha for lowland rice, moving the country closer to self-sufficiency at 70%. 

The introduction of biofortified sweet potato varieties like NASPOT 1-10 and NARO SPOT 6 and 7 has significantly improved nutrition among vulnerable communities. In cassava, NARO's release of 19 varieties since 1994 has helped farmers tackle challenges posed by diseases like cassava mosaic and brown streak, ensuring stable production and enhancing food security across the country. 

Among other key crops, NARO has released 32 bean varieties, including drought-tolerant types like NAROBEAN 6 and 7, and varieties enriched with iron and zinc, such as the NABE and NAROBEAN series, which have helped address nutrition and income needs. 

In the sorghum sector, improved varieties like Epuripur and SESO 1 have been crucial for food security and income, particularly in semi-arid areas, and these are also used in brewing popular beers like Eagle Lager. 

Groundnut production has also benefited from the release of 29 varieties since 1930s, including drought-tolerant Serenut and Naronut series, enhancing farmers' resilience to climate challenges.

In sunflower cultivation, NARO has introduced three varieties, including hybrids SESUN 1H and SESUN 2H, which have improved yields and oil content.

In the livestock sector, NARO has introduced improved goat and cattle breeds, such as the crossbreeds of the indigenous Ankole cattle with Frisian cattle, which combine disease resistance with high milk yields. In a ground-breaking innovation, NARO has developed an anti-tick vaccine with field-based trials determining the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness at 93.2%.

NARO’s contribution aligns with the President's vision of leveraging science to drive agricultural transformation. Uganda’s agricultural sector, which employs the majority of the population, has shown significant progress with the adoption of these improved varieties.

Museveni also emphasized collaboration among member states to enhance agricultural research, improve seed systems, and scale up climate-smart farming practices.