Uganda short of improved seeds


Uganda has run out of improved seed. About 80 per cent cannot access improved seed in the country because of limited technology, government has alerted.

The country’s Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Tress Buchanayandi says all seed varieties are insufficient yet government lacks resources to produce better seed varieties.

“In terms of technology we are critically short of improved seed. We don’t have enough seed for all sort of things that we plant like maize, beans, banana suckers, cassava cuttings ,” he said during a national forum on agriculture on June 6 in Kampala where stakeholders were mobilized to determine the future of agriculture.

“So this is a huge area for investment,” the Minister said.

The Minister said he had tabled a request before Cabinet for more funding and he hopes for positive response.

“Recently, I wrote a paper and discuused it at Cabinet level. They appreciate it I hope they will give us some money to buy improved seed,” he said.

Farmers in Uganda have failed to increase yields partly because of the quality of seeds. Despite assurances of high quality seeds while purchasing, some farmers in Eastern and Southern Uganda are still not getting a good harvest.

Farmers have now resorted to finding means of developing their own seed banks where they can manage quality and supply of seeds.

However, farmers also lack the knowledge to realize their optimal potential. Even with high quality seeds farmers do not realize the yields that they should because of bad farming practices, which reportedly lead to low adoption of quality seeds.

Countries like Kenya or South Africa have an adoption rate of 50 percent to 75 percent of improved quality seeds; in Uganda it is used by fewer than 20 per cent of farmers

kazcharlie@yahoo.com

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