President Museveni has welcomed a proposal to establish a Regional Farm Service Centre Initiative aimed at addressing key challenges in Uganda’s agricultural sector, including the rising concern over counterfeit agro inputs.
The President made the remarks on Wednesday during a meeting with a South African delegation led by Mr. Andile Ramaphosa at State Lodge, Nakasero.
The delegation presented a proposal for a tripartite partnership involving Namunkekera Farm Service Centre, the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB), and Mr. Ramaphosa.
The proposed collaboration seeks to establish infrastructure for the profiling, controlled breeding, harvesting, and export of Ankole cattle genetics to countries within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and other international markets.
“We would like to improve the quality of cattle to be like the ones in South Africa,” Mr. Ramaphosa said.
President Museveni welcomed the initiative, describing it as a positive step towards transforming Uganda’s livestock sector and improving agricultural productivity.
“I wish to express my gratitude to these people for awakening from slumber and coming up with ideas that can contribute to the transformation of our agricultural sector,” Museveni said.
The proposal also includes the establishment of a Build, Operate and Transfer (B.O.T) laboratory to support quality assurance, regulation, and verification of agricultural inputs as part of efforts to combat counterfeit products on the market.
Museveni advised the partners to focus on identifying and developing cattle breeds based on specific desirable traits.
“If you want to farm, get a specific gene. They must have characteristics; some are fat, some have high-value milk, and others produce good offspring,” he said.
The proposed partnership is expected to strengthen Uganda’s livestock industry, improve cattle genetics, and expand regional trade in Ankole cattle breeding materials.