By Sadique Bamwita
Entebbe
The National Animal Genetic Resources Center and Data Bank (NAGRC) has acquired new agricultural equipment in order to enhance animal feed production and seed multiplication in various stock farms across the country.
The equipment include three wheeled agricultural tractors, six -ten ton capacity tipper trailers, three primary and secondary disc harrows, three precision row planters with high seed and fertilizer capacities, three long range boom sprayers 18 m width), and three forage harvesters.
Hon. Minister Dr. Bright Rwamirama, who launched the equipment on October 31, 2024, strongly believes that the acquisition of these modern agricultural machines is a huge step in addressing the nutritional needs that had hampered Uganda’s livestock sector in recent years.
Minister Bright Rwamirama stated that:
“We started with programs and now we have acquired tools. I appreciate the management of the National Animal Genetic Resources Center and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) for their oversight role most especially the Executive Director and his staff; they have so far done a good job.
‘We have acquired these agricultural machines but we need to revisit our core mandate and also see how we can sustain them. We are supposed to be the breeding unit for the whole country. I want to remind you that we host the regional gene bank for all cows in the region. Uganda hosts the gene bank for all cows in the region and it’s based here at NAGRC&DB. We are supposed to make sure we improve on our breeds. We are supposed to multiply and increase breeds for our cattle farmers across the country.
“We are supposed to observe our indigenous breeds and we are now on role number four of food and nutrition provision for the animals in the country. Today I will mainly tackle the issue of feed for the animals. In commercial production we need main areas to tackle. The first one we must have genetics and that’s your mandate either in dairy or dual purpose. We are supposed to have the right breed with the program. Secondly animal nutrition, however much you have a very good breed but if you don’t feed the animals you can’t get good results that you desire. Thirdly animal health, we need to protect our animals from diseases and when breeding we must be cognizant that we need animals that are disease resistant.
“The Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) is currently implementing the policy of agricultural industrialization. Our intervention starts at the production right from the garden to the spoon. So we make interventions at all levels of agricultural production right from value addition to marketing, “Dr. Rwamirama revealed.
‘The machines we acquired are very expensive and we thank the president of Uganda who has given us the necessary support and now our farms are no longer redundant and the encroachers are getting threatened. We no longer have idle land in NAGRC & DB and MAAIF. Now that you have these machines you must make sure you produce enough animal feeds. Last time I was disturbed when the chairperson halted the sale of pigs to farmers yet pigs are necessary. We must provide the community with enough pigs.
‘We have enough land and machines; you must preserve these machines and care for them. They must do the job they have been procured to do, let’s use the machines to produce enough animal feed. We must make sure we maintain them and supervise the staff that run them. I’m happy to hear from the Executive Director Peter Beine that you have a framework contract and an arrangement for the supply delivery service and maintenance of business. We can’t keep these machines without maintaining them, ‘Minister Rwamirama cautioned NAGRC staff. ‘
Minister Rwamirama also pledged to address some of the issues the National Animal genetic resources center and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) is going through and said that:
“On the issue of declining budget –it’s not for NAGRC alone but for the government. Where I come from Ankole region, they use vulgar language for a weak man when he gets showered with rain with others he claims to have got more rain than his colleagues. So budget shrinking is everywhere in every department of government and we are doing so because they align with our priorities. You can imagine where we got money to procure these machines. We could have created a vacuum. As the ministry we are trying to align our priorities and NAGRC is our priority.
“On allegations of NAGRC money being hijacked by the Agriculture ministry, it’s not true. Nobody hijacks money for NAGRIC, It goes where it’s supposed to go and to procure what was supposed to be procured. However, we are trying to sort out this issue between the World Bank and our Finance ministry.
“On rationalization issue, NAGRC belongs to the Agriculture ministry and you should not argue like my colleagues in the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). You are still with us and if you love a baby more than the mother then you have a problem. So you are our baby and you are established by the Law and the policy supports it. If there is a hiccup in administration or any procedure it is subject to correction. Never say you are not ready to join the ministry because you are already in the ministry. As a leader never say this again. There is nothing that you do that we don’t approve and there is nothing that you do that doesn’t align with our processes. So you are part of the ministry and we are one at the same time. So when NAGRC does well it means the ministry has performed very well. Therefore, you are part and parcel of the ministry, “Minister Rwamirama reminded NAGRC staff where they belong.
“Staffing gap-we have a staffing gap and now with the new mandate we are working around the clock to ensure that we avail the necessary requirements for NAGRC to fill the staffing gaps.’
“On the issue of NAGRC engaging with the Agriculture ministry, we are ready to engage with NAGRC and we had planned for a meeting recently but unfortunately we were disrupted and we shall have a meeting with the board to review our policy and priorities so that we can involve the government fully.
Minister Bright Rwamirama further reminded management of NAGRC to take the issue of conservation seriously in order to conserve our indigenous animal species.
“Where we have not conserved our indigenous breeds we need to refresh ourselves and make sure we make the game right. I thank the management of NAGRC for conserving Ankole cows, Mubende goats, but I’m not comfortable with Kasolwe stock farm designated for jersey cows, the last time I went there it was not appealing and therefore we must make sure we don’t lose the East African Jersey cows . These cows are not adequate enough and we must do something to conserve them.
“We have many Ankole cows and the breeding programs. So we need to improve our indigenous breeds but also to conserve their genes. I received a demand from Namibia of 3000 semen stock for Ankole cows while in Angola I got a demand of 5000 semen stock. Therefore, we need to be prepared because everybody knows about our gene bank here in Entebbe.
“The NAGRC board should move around to ensure the acquired machines are doing the right job for them. By the end of next season, we shall have enough volumes of milk and an increased amount of milk for export. Recently we carried out an experiment on Kisozi farm and the bulls given enough feed were putting on as much as 3.8kg every day and when the feeds were reduced step by step they could not make a kilo a day implying animal feeds are very important . I’m optimistic the acquired equipment will transform the Livestock industry in Uganda, ‘Dr. Rwamirama expressed optimism.”
On the other hand, the chairperson board of directors for NAGRC & DB, Mr. Ben Anyama said as NAGRC they have four strategic areas to handle in breeding for better animals and they include dairy breed, dual purpose breed, farmer preferred breeds. He believes that the acquired agricultural equipment will enable the board to accomplish its mission of improving the livestock sector in the country.
‘NAGRC&DB is the only organization which has over 250,000 square miles in this country. So given this big chunk of land , we thought it wise to use it to produce our animal feeds because we realized that the organization to purchase animal feeds is very expensive and that’s the reason we purchased our own equipment to produce our animal feeds. We have also purchased equipment for seed multiplication to breed healthy crops and livestock. The equipment will help us a lot to ensure we achieve the purpose.
“We can only be able to conserve our indigenous animals like Ankole cows, pigs and chicken among others. Producing our own feeds reduces expenditure on imported animal feeds.
“We have specialized animal farms in different parts of the country, for example Kasolwe stock farm for jersey cows, and Bulago for Friesian among others. The demand for our indigenous livestock is high and we hope to use the acquired machines to breed more indigenous animals.
“In future we want to plant our own seeds in stock farms of Kasolwe, Aswa and Lusenke. We chose these farms because other ranches don’t have enough land. We need support from the government to achieve this, ‘Mr. Anyama appealed to the government.’
“Our budget for this financial year as NAGRC is Shs.39billion and has been slashed to Shs.36 billion for the next financial year. We request you to take this matter to parliament and cabinet level because we won’t do much in future. The finance Ministry should give us our money as NAGRC rather than passing it through the Agricultural Ministry. I believe we can use it better than those at the ministry level.
“We need to meet with MAAIF officials to discuss with them so that they know we have issues affecting us. We totally disagree with the way they do things, Mr. Anyama expressed displeasure.
Finally, Honorable Minister, I want to report to you that during the second period when there was little resources in the organization, no staff was engaged in the theft of animals from the farm or stealing the available little money , Mr. Anyama disclosed.’
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