UDB, Naro to support sunflower research

Uganda Development Bank (UDB) has partnered with the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute (NaSARRI) to support sunflower research in the country.
The managing director of UDB, Ms Patricia Ojangole, during the Teso and Karamoja business clinic at Soroti University last Friday said Shs178m has been earmarked to enable field testing of the developed varieties. 
She said the field tests will be conducted at Serere and the test gardens will be established within the greater eastern and northern Uganda regions.

Ms Ojangole said through the project, evaluation and validation of the high-yielding locally developed sunflower varieties shall be carried out.
“Uganda and most East African countries rely on imported seeds. The imported seeds are very costly and are not readily available. According to the 2020 statistics, the country spent up to $1,671,000 on importation of sunflower seeds from various countries,” she explained. 
Ms Ojangole said there are more than 110 operational mills in the oilseed hubs in Uganda, with installed capacity utilisation standing at a paltry 39 percent, adding that the low level of utilisation of the mills is linked to the scarcity of sunflower  seeds.

Ms Ojangole said NaSARRI has registered significant strides in developing sunflower hybrid seeds, that require field testing and evaluation in order to prove  commercial production.
UDB is the country’s national development finance institution with the mandate to accelerate social–economic development through sustainable financial interventions.
Dr Walter Anyang, the head of the sunflower department at NaSARRI, said most of the hybrid sunflower seeds come from France, Argentina, and South Africa.
He said their research has been able to make strides in sunflower development with both hybrid and open pollinated varieties (OPV) available for field tests.
Mr Anyang said the sunflower variety has brought better prospects to farmers this season. 

“The important thing we want as a research station to break is the monopoly of importation of hybrid seed, which seed is too expensive for farmers, once we have a continuous chain of releases of our own researched hybrid seeds, then sunflower production can be boosted at less cost,” the scientist explained.
Mr Mike Mukula, the NRM vice chairperson for the eastern region, who was the guest of honour, underscored the government commitment towards funding businesses through UDB.
“We appreciate such business clinics as they help deliver practical and real solutions through a consultative and deliberate process that also implements the government agenda and government policies to revive the economy,” he added.