Prime
Govt moves National Livestock Institute to Apac
Some of the structures at NaLIRRI in Maruzi, Apac District. PHOTO | BILL OKETCH
What you need to know:
- The Resident District Commissioner of Apac, Mr George Abudul, warned people against sabotaging government programmes under the disguise of protecting their land.
Government has finally relocated the headquarters of National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI) from Tororo to Maruzi in Apac District.
NaLIRRI is a government-owned farm under National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
It is one of 16 semi-autonomous agricultural public research institutes established to provide agricultural research services under the policy guidance of the NARO.
The journey of this institute from Tororo to the ‘promised land’ – Maruzi – started around 2016. However, NaLIRRI was first moved from Tororo to the Wakiso-based Nakyesasa satellite camp as the government undertook the process of relocating its head office from Nakyesasa to Maruzi.
NaLIRRI outgoing acting director, Dr William Ntege hands over office to the new director Prof Samuel Majalija in Maruzi on January 15, 2024.
Dr Yona Baguma, the Director General of NARO, during the supervisory visit to NaLIRRI on January 15, 2024, confirmed the institute was successfully moved from Tororo to Maruzi.
NaLIRRI has a total of five research programmes, including beef, dairy, vaccinology, biosciences and entomology.
“Four of these programmes are supposed to have their base at Maruzi except the biosciences research programme that will remain at the Nakyesasa satellite research institute. This is because of the proximity to other national laboratories like at Kawanda and Namulonge so that there are synergies with those other centres,” Dr Baguma explained.
He also introduced Prof Samuel Majalija, as the new director of NaLIRRI
“Now that we are moving towards that direction of livestock, I’m very sure we are going to change so much because we have the highest amount of grass per square metre in the world,” Prof Majalija said, pledging to transform NaLIRRI to a global centre of excellence in livestock research.
The Resident District Commissioner of Apac, Mr George Abudul, warned people against sabotaging government programmes under the disguise of protecting their land.
“Because if you look at this place, in Lango, you would be shouting our land, our land. What is the value that you get from your land? You could be having a very big chunk of land but what is it that you get out of it?”
