Poor agro-inputs explain low yields
With timely and accurate weather forecasts, the farmers are able to either plan their activities or respond to changes accordingly. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
Poor inputs. 69 per cent of farmers in Uganda use poor seeds.
Kampala. New research findings by Economic Policy Research Policy (EPRC) has revealed that only 31 per cent of farmers in Uganda use improved seeds, a scenario which is affecting increased crop productivity in the country.
Presenting the research findings during the National Agriculture Forum themed; ‘Intensifying smallholder crop production: policy implementation challenges’ last week in Kampala, senior research fellow at EPRC, Dr Swaibu Mbowa, said the use of poor quality seeds continues to hinder crop productivity in Uganda.
Low growth
“The lackluster growth of Uganda’s agriculture sector is such that crops like cereals actually experienced negative growth; only 0.9 per cent of agricultural households use irrigation; while 91 per cent of agricultural households are still dependent on local seeds vis-à-vis only 31 per cent, who use improved seeds amid low level of mechanisation,” he said.
Mr Mbowa said the low level of public expenditure and inconsistencies in the policy framework partly explains the sector’s dismal performance in recent years.
Agriculture accounts for about 40 per cent of export earnings and contributes approximately one-fifth to the total GDP.
However, Dr Mbowa said agriculture has posted a dismal performance in the last decade with the growth of the sector averaging only 2 per cent a year.
As a result, the sector’s contribution to total GDP has slid from approximately 50 per cent in late 80s to 25 per cent now.
“This means that 70 per cent of the labour force contributes a mere 25 per cent overall GDP, an irrefutable evidence low productivity in the sector,” he said.
The Director Planning National Planning Authority, Dr Patrick Birungi, said fragmentation within the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries should be streamlined.
The Member of Parliament for Katuta County, who is also the chairperson of Agriculture Committee of parliament, Mr Mathias Kasamba, said for the last three years, no bill about the agriculture sector was tabled to be passed into law.
PROBLEMS
What keeps farmers poor. Most farmers in Uganda rely on seeds saved from the previous season or traded informally between neighbours, but such seeds generally produce far lower yields than genuine high yield hybrids.
