Govt to grow maize, soya bean on large scale to boost food security

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has embarked on massive production of maize and soya bean to boost the country’s food and animal feed security.

According to Dr Gordon Ssengoye, the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC& DB) head of production, the agency will produce maize and soya bean on a total of 30,000 acres spread across its farms and ranches countrywide.

Mr Bright Rwamirama, the State Minister for Animal Industry, said the government will establish two 10,000 megatonne capacity grain storage facilities. These facilities will have attendant animal feed processing equipment at each of the nine NAGRC&DB farms and ranches.

The government will also establish one high capacity (6250m3) reinforced concrete silage banker at each of the agricultural facilities.

“We shall establish pressurised farm water irrigation systems at each of the nine participating ranches to support all-year round production,” Mr Rwamirama said last week.

“There are plans also to acquire high-value mechanised agricultural production support machinery and equipment,” he added.

These include bush clearing machines, farm access road construction machinery, heavy duty wheeled agricultural tractors, heavy duty tillage equipment, duty boom sprayers, large scale precision planters, large scale inter-row cultivators for weeding, thinning, and combine harvesters.

Challenges

According to the ministry, heavy rain had derailed mechanised bush clearing and tillage operations.

The government had also faced production delays occasioned by eviction of encroachers on government land.

“Tillage and propagation operations has also become a challenge as machine operators have to manoeuvre around numerous fragmented plots of homesteads, gardens and graveyards, resulting in unwarranted fuel and time wastage,” the executive director of NAGRC, Dr Peter Beine, said.

Mr Robert Ssenozi, a board director at NAGRC, said the presence of fake agro-inputs on the market also affects food and animal feed production He also said lack of irrigation equipment to facilitate longer planting periods has led to unbudgeted expenditure on establishment of pressurised farm water irrigation systems.

However, the government has been carrying out massive sensitisation of farming communities to address some of these challenges.

A solar powered ground water irrigation system has been established at Kasolwe Stock Farm in Kamuli District.”

He added: “Chain-link fencing has been adopted as an immediate interim solution to the challenge of wild game at Nshaara, Sanga and Got Apwoyo ranches.”

At least 3,200 acres of land in Nwoya District was in August approved by Cabinet to breed and multiply highly productive livestock, produce animal feeds, and cereal crops, diagnose, and treat animals.