Over 300,000 expected to visit farmers’ show

By Ronald Kalyango

Over 300,000 people are expected to throng the agricultural show at the source of the River Nile grounds in Jinja this week.

According to Jimmy Kitaka, the show-grounds manager, farmers will be exposed to new technologies during this year’s 17th Uganda National Agriculture and Trade Show.

The show to be held under the theme: “Promoting value addition in agricultural production for poverty eradication,” will be opened by President Yoweri Museveni who is also the patron of the Uganda National Farmer’s Federation (UNFFE).

Kitaka said the show has so far attracted a number of farmers both from Uganda and the neighbouring countries of Tanzania, Kenya Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

Exhibitors, who set camp here say, this year’s show is expected to be one of the biggest in recent times.

UNFFE who are the show organisers, expect the attendance by the end of the week long event to hit a quarter million mark this year. Publicity secretary, Victoria Kakooko Sebagereka said the exhibition will bring together a wide range of stakeholders and exhibitors from across the East African region.

“We believe that agricultural shows set a platform for displaying innovations, technologies and clearly provides a forum for enhancing knowledge for increased agricultural productivity,” Sebagereka said.

She said by holding such exhibitions annually, farmers are exposed to new ideas of production with the aim of increasing their competitiveness on the market and producing for commercial purposes.

“We need improved systems of production, with value added products to enable the farmers get wider market and earn better money. This is one of our current responses to the government’s effort to economically empower the farmers,” Sebagereka added.

She said part of the exhibition will include setting up of demonstration gardens and agro-equipment, environmental management technologies, and preservation and marketing tools.

Morrison Rwakakamba, the manager in charge of policy and advocacy at the federation said with the looming negative effects of climate change on Ugandan farmers, more investment was needed in adaptation technologies.

“Over 70% of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, mainly in subsistence farming. We need to look for better ways of investing in them so that they can increase their crop yields,” said Rwakakamba.

Seed companies and the the agricultural sector started working on demonstration gardens and stalls several weeks, ago in preparation for this week’s opening. Kitaka said adding value to the agricultural produce is the only strategy that will lead Ugandans out of the poverty.

He noted that this year’s show was timely because with the growing demands of the rapidly increasing population and need for better livelihood, Uganda is transforming from subsistence to commercial agriculture which later demands for value addition.

“This process requires use of innovations and improved technologies, practices, methodologies, processes and approaches that lead to improved agricultural productivity. Thus the theme for this year’s celebrations,” explained Kitaka.

He said the show aims at increasing awareness of value addition and market innovations that enhance productivity.

“Ugandan farmers, researchers, service providers, decision-makers, manufacturers, traders and other stakeholders have a critical role to play in the transformation of the national agriculture,” he explained.

Frank Tumwebaze, the federation’s president commended both the work of the National Agricultural Organisation scientists who are engaged in technology development and the National Agricultural Advisory Services(NAADS) for extending the technologies and advisory services to farmers in the country.

Tumwebaze said: “Agro-processing and value addition can even be done at the simplest level by the farmer himself or their own group, if they can access the necessary machines.”

He said while NAADS concentrates on delivering advisory services, there is need for actual direct support to the individual farmers and groups to carry out primary agro-processing and value addition.

Addressing the Rwenzori region farmers who converged for their regional agricultural show in Kabarole district recently, Hope Mwesigye the agriculture minister said the primary goal of agro-processing would be availing farmer groups with simple units like maize mills and rice haulers.

She said farmers would also be provided with fruit processing equipment and dryers to promote simple on-farm agro-processing and value addition on subsidised prices payable in installments.

Mwesigye said much as the government encourages farmers with small pieces of land to concentrate on high value crops, which do not need a lot of mechanisation, the other farmers with relatively big pieces of land should engage in extensive farming and increase production for commercial purposes.

She said the NAADS programme was advising farmers to embrace agricultural enterprises in accordance with the zoning strategy of the country. According to Mwesigye, her ministry already has a list of enterprises which have been proven to earn farmers an approximated annual income of sh20m.

“It should be the responsibility of the technical people to advise farmers on the already proven enterprises,” said Mwesigye.

She also noted that there was a need for coordination of activities in the agriculture ministry like how it is done in the Education and Health ministries.

“We need to meet regularly for self regulation. I have realised that there are many non government organisations duplicating activities and yet if there was proper planning, resources would be put to proper use,” Mwesigye pointed out.