Protect our indigenous varieties

Given their mandate ranging from research, policy, and management functions, all aimed at ensuring maximum and sustainable sectoral output through efficient and safe standards in a sector deemed as the engine of our economy, Agricultural scientists must not compromise standards of our traditional crops and animals in favour of foreign innovations. Several complaints have been made, accusing researchers in the Ministry of Agriculture of introducing new varieties that are less nutritious, less disease and drought resistant and thus, highly vulnerable and costly to maintain.

Farmers attribute the frequent and unrelenting attacks on crops and livestock by numerous fast-spreading and drug/pesticides resistant diseases-causing pests to the introduction of the new varieties of bananas, tomatoes, coffee trees, passion fruits, and animals such as goats, chicken and cows.

Since both traditional and new varieties are grown together, the former has not been spared either. Besides lowering farm output, destructive parasites have made application of foreign made pesticides and herbicides part of farming in Uganda thus, increasing the cost of production in a sector receiving minimal government financing .

Such inhibitors raise pertinent questions not only about the quality of the much emphasised new varieties in terms of abilities to fend off diseases but also the technologies used in developing them by mandated technocrats under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and fisheries (MAAIF).

Considering the added advantage/niche Ugandan indigenous organic and chemical free harvests gave our exporters over rivals on international market since European processors use them for blending other genetically modified crops, the new innovations being forced on our farmers pose a huge risk to our agricultural exports which earned us the equivalent of 31 per cent of GDP in foreign revenues last year.

Rampant worms which officials from the Ministry of Agriculture recently labelled as indigenous, had indeed been around for centuries but surprisingly never troubled our organic species at such an alarming rate.

This puts researchers to a task of reviewing their technologies if they’re indeed acting in good faith and not motivated by foreign inducements to undermine our valuable resources.

Farmers, countrywide, are complaining of new varieties of seeds being developed and supplied by government through Naads and Operation Wealth Creation programme after several fail to germinate while plants and animals are less disease-resistant and frequently get stunted. Consequently, costly farming practices like spraying and de-worming of the now endangered indigenous animal species is order of the day.

Frustrated and tired of losses, Ugandan farmers are reportedly finding it difficult to access indigenous seeds for planting due to pollination related challenges.

As if in their bid to enhance food production to match the increased demand by ever-increasing Ugandan population, they compromised quality of traditional species, thus, exacerbating its vulnerability to diseases. The introduction of GMO regulatory Bill, which unfortunately was passed by the previous Parliament only to be rejected by President Museveni was a clear indicator that some of our agricultural researchers were working with foreign promoters of GMOs.

The blocked Genetic Engineering Regulatory Bill, formerly known as Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill couldn’t have reached that level without an input of our scientists

This move to turn GMO into a law moreover without input of key sector stakeholders including a President should have raised sufficient suspicion to cause serious scrutiny into safety innovations adopted by our researchers.

Remaining indifferent to the aforementioned challenges in a sector where Uganda has special economic comparative advantage could undermine our efforts to realise the critical targets of NDP III through which income per capita incomes of Uganda is expected to shoot beyond $1,200, hence clinching a middle income status.

Therefore, the process of rejuvenating this sector should start with the head of State ordering a commission of inquiry to re-evaluate the technologies deployed by our agricultural scientists.

Government budgetary allocation to a sector employing 69 percent of Ugandan labourers should be increased to 10 percent as such would fulfil her commitment made to Malabo declaration of 2014.

Increased funding perhaps would help the ministry develop capacity to absorb funds since 2019/20 Auditors’ General report  indicated that  officials in Agriculture ministry failed to utilise 62 percent of the $103b, registering an absorption capacity of 38 percent of a World Bank funded project through IDA credit facility.

Similar report indicated interest payment on unwithrawn funds totalling to $ 155,850.      

Andrew Bakoraho, Writer and an advocate for equitable and progressive [email protected]