Government will scale up support for farmers through the Parish Development Model (PDM) and affordable credit schemes over the next five years as part of efforts to boost value addition, create jobs, and accelerate economic growth, the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebaze has said.
Tumwebaze said the strategy will target farmers at all levels, from smallholder households to medium and large-scale commercial producers, to increase production and strengthen agro-industrialisation.
“Our strategy as government in the next five years is to ensure that all clusters of farmers — small, medium and large — get supported to fully produce with added value,” Tumwebaze said.
He said PDM interventions would be expanded to reach more smallholder farmers, while low-interest and interest-free financing would be rolled out through the Uganda Development Bank and other government financial institutions to support larger agricultural enterprises.
According to the minister, the measures are aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, sustaining agro-industries, and helping the sector contribute to the government’s strategy of growing the economy tenfold.
“This is how the agriculture sector will create more jobs and contribute substantially to the 10-fold growth strategy of the economy and be able to sustain the agro-industries,” he said.
Tumwebaze made the remarks after visiting Tripple J Agro Farm in Bombo, an 80-acre dairy enterprise that he cited as an example of value addition and efficient agricultural production.
The farm operates a zero-grazing system with 140 dairy animals and powers its operations entirely through biogas generated from animal waste.
“They are powering their operations 100 per cent with biogas from the animal waste. It is zero waste for them,” Tumwebaze said.
The farm has also ventured into yoghurt production and is gradually expanding into pasteurised and powdered milk processing.
The minister said such investments demonstrate how commercial farmers can increase profitability while creating employment opportunities by developing entire value chains rather than focusing solely on primary production.
“I am excited to see commercial farmers investing and developing whole value chains on farm and therefore creating jobs,” he said.
Government has identified agriculture as a key driver of industrialisation and economic transformation, with officials increasingly encouraging farmers to embrace value addition, modern production methods, and commercial-scale operations.
Tumwebaze said the success of enterprises such as Tripple J Agro Farm illustrates the potential of combining production, processing, and renewable energy technologies to boost incomes, reduce waste, and expand employment opportunities in the agricultural sector.
