Sembabule’s Taala Ya Mawogola plots comeback, 4 years after collapse

SEMBABULE: Plans are underway to revive Taala Ya Mawogola Savings and Credit Cooperative Society Ltd, four years after the SACCO collapsed, theCooperator has learned.

Simon Peter Ddungu, the Sembabule District Commercial Officer told theCooperator that the district leadership had resolved to mobilize widely for the revival of the SACCO, owing to the significant role the SACCO was playing in shoring up the economic fortunes of the district’s residents.

Tracing back the SACCO’s roots.

For close to ten years, Taala Ya Mawongola SACCO was the oldest community-based Microfinance institution in Sembabule district, growing to rank among the leading SACCOs in Masaka sub region.

Headquartered in present-day Mateete Town council, the SACCO had been founded in 2005, one of the very first financial institutions in the district, to safeguard people’s savings and provide soft loans to shore up mushrooming SMEs in the region.

Godfrey Mutamba, one of the founder members of the defunct SACCO revealed that the SACCO was a joint idea of thirteen prominent farmers in Mateete Sub county, whose interest was to pull together resources through a savings scheme and eventually lend it to people that needed pushup capital at affordable interest rates.

“People gradually embraced the idea because it was being advanced by people of repute in the area. And the SACCO was opened to people from all walks of life who began saving with it, leading to its expansion,” he told theCooperator.

To qualify for a loan of say Shs.1million, SACCO members were required to pay a registration fee of 10,000 shillings and buy ten shares at Shs.12,000.

According to available records, by 2011, Taala Ya Mawogola SACCO had accumulated a loan book of more than shs.1.3 billion, comprising of members’ savings, share capital and Interest accumulated on loans.

The Microfinance had also opened two other branches in Sembabule Town Council and Bukomansimbi district, expanding its membership to over 5,000 direct clients.

By then, Mutamba told theCooperator, the SACCO had supported several successful local enterprise groups which they hoped would later merge into a union and later transform the SACCO into a cooperative bank.

Trouble knocks.

All the SACCO’s plans were however dashed when in 2011, the General manager disappeared with members’ savings, setting in motion a slow and gradual collapse of the SACCO.

Benon Ssebyanzi, one of the affected members recounted to theCooperator that in May 2011, rumors of financial mismanagement at the SACCO started emerging, prompting members to demands for a special audit and investigation of the General Manager, Ibrahim Were.

According to Ssebyanzi, during the members’ Annual General Meeting that year, Were asked for time to prepare a report before he could leave office, but would instead disappear with over Shs.600 million of members’ savings a few days later.

When an external audit was eventually done by the Uganda Microfinance Support Center (MSC), it was found that the SACCO had suffered an even bigger financial loss of Shs.83o million in syndicate fraud.

The report showed that the money had been swindled while in transit to the SACCO’s account in a commercial bank in Masaka. It (the report) faulted the SACCO’s board for accepting to be manipulated into signing blank cheques, which allowed the general manager an opportunity to fill in any figures he wished, before withdrawing the money that could not be accounted for.

Eventual collapse

Yudaya Namirembe, another member of the SACCO says the fraud become the precursor to the eventual collapse of the institution, whose public trust had been severely eroded.

“We tried to retrieve our deposits in vain, despite having our deposit books indicating account balances,” she says, adding that even creditors chose to default on their loans.

Frank Lubowa, the Chairperson of the new board which was constituted to try and keep the SACCO afloat in 2014 says their efforts did not yield any results.

“We had secured another loan of Sh.70million from the Micro-Finance Support Center to recapitalize the SACCO, but all the money was eventually spent clearing members whom the SACCO owed money,” he explained.

The SACCO finally closed shop in 2015.

Attempting a comeback.

The SACCO’s collapse left a significant void in the economic life of the district’s residents, affecting the overall productivity in the district.

Ddungu assured theCooperator that the district leadership is determined to bring the SACCO back to life. “We cannot afford to lose that SACCO completely,” he told us.

“We are exploiting all public spaces like churches, Mosques and social gatherings to mobilize these people to rebuild the SACCO after all their assets are still intact,” he added.

In March this year, the Micro-Finance Support Center attempted to attach the SACCO buildings to recover its loan debt, but according to Ddungu, the government intervened and secured the SACCO’s assets.

He is also optimistic that going forward, with the new Uganda Microfinance Regulatory Authority, irregularities such as the ones that led to Taala Ya Mawogola’s collapse will be detected in time to prevent the fate that befell their SACCO.

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FRONASA Cooperative Members Appeal to Museveni for support

OMORO: Relatives and children of fallen Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) members are crying out to President Museveni for support to boost their Cooperative, which is struggling with insufficient capital.

Based in Awere Sub-County in Omoro district, Awere FRONASA Cooperative Society was formed in 2017 to help maintain unity among all households with FRONASA roots in the area and to supplement their household incomes through viable enterprises.

The cooperative now has 3000 members, and its chairperson, Mr. Biligraham Olanya says they run a loan scheme, where members get loans at an interest rate of 2.5%, to be returned in 3-6months. “Most of our members are peasant farmers who only earn incomes after harvest and selling,” Olanya told us.

Olanya however told thecooperator that despite the loan scheme, their SACCO has failed to grow to attain the capacity necessary to meaningfully improve the conditions of their growing membership, prompting them to appeal to President Museveni for support.

“We charge a membership fee of 50,000, but many of our members still think that is on a high end, and they’re unable to raise it. Even now, we have over 2000 members who have shown interest in joining (the cooperative), but they’ve failed to raise the money,” Olanya said.

Francis Okello Odoki, a member and advisor to the cooperative says they now need a financial boost of Shs.500 million to prop up the SACCO’s capacity to be able to impact more members.

Asked why they’re particularly appealing to President Museveni for support, Odoki said they had appealed to other offices for support, in vain. “Personally I have tried to reach out to several offices but little has been achieved,” he said.

But Olanya said that as descendants of FRONASA, Awere cooperative members also have a strong attachment to the President, which had motivated them to appeal to him directly.

“We still consider President Museveni our leader, and that’s why we’re reaching out to him for support. Most of these people (Awere Cooperative members) are his supporters,” he said

FRONASA is a former military movement established by President Museveni in the 1970s to fight Idi Amin’s regime, and was later one of the many Ugandan exilee groups that merged to form the umbrella Uganda National Liberation Movement which ruled Uganda between 1979 and 1980.

Odoki says that as local farmers, they’re determined to improve their livelihoods and that the cooperative is one of the means to that end. “We opted for the Cooperative so that we can speak with a stronger voice when requesting for any support from government and other development partners,’’ he says.

He said President Museveni had pledged to support cooperatives in the area, and that it was now time to take him on that pledge.

Omoro district commercial officer Bernard Okumu, however, argued that while such support would be a big boost, cooperators should not lose sight of the bigger vision that motivated their cooperative’s founding.

“They(cooperatives) are supposed to be vehicles to bring together people to address the most pressing issues among them and better their circumstances,’’ he said.

When contacted, NRM Communications officer Rogers Mulindwa noted that FRONASA still means a lot to President Museveni, and assured the cooperators that he would come through with his pledged support. “They should just be patient,” he said.

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Government to step-up extension support for farmers

Government has committed to step up the reach and diversity of extension services available to smallholder farmers and cooperatives, in a bid to promote agricultural mechanization and increase the productivity of the Agricultural sector.

Presiding over the 9th Joint Agricultural Sector Annual Review (JASAR) held at Speke Resort Munyonyo on Thursday, Vincent Ssempijja, the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries(MAAIF) noted that extension services were critical to government’s plan to transform the 68% largely subsistence households in the country into commercial production, as part of the governments agro-industrialization strategy.

Currently, Ssempijja said, MAAIF, with support from development partners like the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) and the Kingdom of Netherlands, are promoting four different models of service delivery to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the extension services.

“The models include the farmer field schools, village agent model, nucleus farmer model, and the four-acre model,” he said, affirming that “the models have been developed to support commercialization of smallholder farmers and are being integrated in the extension services system.”

Currently, the ratio of extension workers to farmers is 1:1800, way above the internationally recommended 1:500. But Ssempijja argued that there has been a significant improvement over the last two years, noting that in 2015/16, the ratio of extension worker: farmer stood at a staggering 1:5000.

“Following the adoption of the Single Spine Extension System, Government embarked on a recruitment drive of Agricultural Extension Staff, which has seen 3,872 extension workers recruited over the last two years,” he said.

Ssempijja said that with support from International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), MAAIF has been able to procure and facilitate the extension staff with 113 Double Cabin vehicles and 1,034 motorcycles, to increase their efficiency and mobility.

Despite the inroads made, the ministry was still 1,128 extension staff-short of the targeted 5000 for the 2018/19 financial year, and way below the required 12,000 extension workers by local governments nationally in the medium term.

Ssempijja blamed the shortfall on what he called an “insufficient resource envelope,” noting that MAAIF submitted a budget of Shs.50bn for extension staff wages and Shs.56bn for non-wage expenses to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in the last financial year, which was not honored.

“More resources are required to step up recruitment and procure more transport equipment for extension workers,” he said, before adding: “More money is needed to increase the operational funds from the current Shs.39.6 billion and to support continuous capacity building of the workers.”

Towards agriculture mechanization, the ministry revealed that it had procured 284 tractors and two sets of earthmoving equipment, which would be hired out to farmers and cooperatives at subsidized costs. Ssempijja said that MAAIF would procure and distribute 162 additional tractors 200 lower level mechanization equipment like ox-plows, and 130 solar water pumping systems. “These efforts will unlock systemic constraints that affect the livelihood of smallholder farmers,” he emphasized.

Re-echoing the minister’s remarks, MAAIF Permanent Secretary Pius Wakabi Kasajja however urged farmers to register and work in organized groups like cooperatives, arguing that it would be easier and cheaper that way for them to access the vast range of agricultural services on offer, from credit to agricultural Insurance and agro-inputs.

“This (farmer cooperatives) will also help us link them to agro-processing facilities being coordinated by the extension service network in the country,” Wakabi Argued.

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Sembabule farmers tipped on Cooperatives

Sembabule: Coffee and dairy farmers’ groups in Sembabule district have been urged to embrace cooperatives as a way of generating sustainable wealth.

Addressing at least 80 leaders from different farmers’ groups across the district on Thursday, Leonard Okello, the Chief Executive Officer at Uhuru Institute for Social Development asked the participants to faithfully contribute to the growth of their respective cooperatives, by embracing individual and collective responsibility.

“Don’t allow these cooperatives to be managed as properties of the leaders. Each of the members should be ready to devotedly participate in the affairs of his or her cooperative and make a direct contribution to its growth,” he challenged them.

Speaking ahead of Mr. Okello, Simon Peter Ddundu, the Sembabule District Commercial Officer had noted that despite the formation of several cooperative societies in the area, many of them were still lacking in proper management competencies, necessitating the outsourcing of trainers to orient them through cooperatives best practices.

According to Ddungu, Sembabule has at least 58 registered farmers’ cooperatives. “But the numbers are not translating into empowered farmers or significant benefits for them,” he said.

Okello called upon the cooperators to refrain from the habit of running the cooperatives as begging associations, arguing that that makes them more susceptible to manipulation by selfish donors or politicians, precipitating their collapse.

He challenged the participants to be resilient and generate business-minded ideas which they can integrate into their cooperatives for purposes of expanding them.

“One way of building and growing your cooperative is for you to religiously contribute your share of its essential capital. Don’t expect miracles from these cooperatives. But when you build and nurture them, you can be sure of reaping big from its honest values and efficient services,” he added.

Okello implored the cooperators to be foresighted and envision a strong network of cooperatives in the area, through which they can negotiate for better markets for their produce.

Among other aspects, the farmers were trained in the modalities of establishing clear loan and accounts management systems, democratic members’ controls, as best practices that can propel cooperatives’ growth.

Richard Ssempijja, the Programs Coordinator at the Uganda Cooperative Alliance coffee project, noted that the training has come at an opportune time when farmers need to get better organized to generate substantial wealth from their enterprises.

Moving a vote of thanks, Nathan Mwesigye, the chairperson Kyeera Dairy Farmers Cooperative appreciated the breadth of the training, saying it had awakened the members’ awareness on the need to cooperate deliberately, and take their cooperatives’ responsibilities seriously.

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Uganda lacks a coherent agro-industrialization policy – EPRC’s Guloba

Piecemeal interventions and poor coordination among institutional actors in the Agriculture sector have been blamed for the lack of a robust agro-industrialization policy to achieve Uganda’s development targets.

Speaking at the 9th Joint Agricultural Sector Annual Review held at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Dr. Madina Guloba, a senior research fellow at the Makerere -based Economic Policy Research Centre noted that the dis-jointed interventions by the numerous state and non-state actors in the Agri–industrial sector were making it difficult to execute a systematic, nationally transformative policy agenda, in line with Uganda’s development needs.

“Poor coordination of (sector) actors complicates the consolidation of institutional efforts towards the development of a common agro-industrial goal, further undermining the ability of already meager resources to deliver needed interventions,” she said.

Presently, Uganda has several agencies involved at various stages of the agri-business value chain. These include; the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) and the Uganda Industrial Research Institute(UIRI) at research level, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADs) and Operation Wealth Creation for inputs supply and implementation, the Uganda Development Cooperation and Export Promotions Board at investment and marketing level respectively, not to mention the parent ministries of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries, and that of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, who’re charged with overall policy formulation and oversight.

There are also crop-specific agencies like the Uganda Coffee Development Authority and the Cotton Development Organization, whose mandates cut across the regulation of the coffee and cotton sectors respectively, and the promotion of coffee and cotton exports.

Highlighting the government’s economic growth strategy for the financial year 2019/2020, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija noted that the government would “aggressively” pursue agro-processing and the development of product value chains to create high-value jobs and expand the industrial base of the economy.

“Uganda’s industrialization in future has accordingly been designed on two strategic pillars; the setting up of fully serviced industrial parks across the country to house medium and large-scale industries, and two, the development of product value-chains which link nucleus entrepreneurs to out-grower farmers to promote agro-processing for value addition,” Kasaija said, at the budget reading in June.

But Madina says, there has yet to be a specific major policy shift especially in the direction of developing product value chains. According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Uganda enjoys a positive balance of $420million in agro-products’ trade, importing $1.07billion worth of good, while exporting $1.5billion in 2017. But Madina insists, Uganda can do much better if it prioritizes a few specific commodities and products.

She pointed out that while for example Milk, coffee, Tea and Fisheries have the potential to become high-impact export products, dairy, cotton, vegetable oil, and beef by-products should be the target of an import substitution policy, calling for increased public investment in high-value agro-manufacturing. “There’s, for example, no reason why 95% of our lint should still be exported, when we import millions of dollars- worth of cotton by-products,” she said.

She said that achieving such targets required a deliberate policy from government to protect domestic industries especially at infancy, and availing them affordable and patient credit, noting that Uganda remained a poor performer on this aspect (credit access). According to UNIDO, by 2016, only 6.3% of small-scale industries had loans or lines of credit in Uganda compared to 44.1 % in Kenya and 11.1% Tanzania.

“But it also requires building strong traceability systems and linkages between producers and manufacturers to guarantee product quality and standards, to secure and safeguard local and international markets,” she said.

The Joint Agricultural Sector Review is an annual event organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries in collaboration with development actors in the Agriculture sector, to review the sector’s performance against set targets and suggest corrective proposals going forward. The event has been organized since 2011, and this year’s Review took place from 28th-30th August 2019, at the Common Wealth Resort, Munyonyo.

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Government Launches Call Center to Report Fake Agro-input Dealers

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries have launched a toll-free call centre for farmers to report suppliers selling or distributing fake agricultural inputs on the market.

Agriculture Minister Vincent Bamulangaki said the Kilimo Call Centre will go along way in helping the government curb the sale and distribution of fake agro-inputs.

He noted that several crops and animal farmers have failed to reap from agriculture due to fake agro-products sold freely on the market.

“… many people are engaged in agriculture for a living but many cannot gain from their efforts because of these fake business people who sell fake products. The government cannot allow this practice to go on,” said Bamulangaki.

Studies and surveys conducted in Uganda show that poor or fake agricultural inputs in particular seeds for planting are costing farmers up to 40 percent in crop failure.

The government last year recertified and re-accredited importers and dealers of agrochemicals and other inputs to fight their distribution to farmers. The exercise followed a countrywide outcry by farmers over fake agro-inputs.

However, efforts to crack down on input dealers who sell counterfeit products on the market is hampered by the shortage of agro-input inspectors. The government has so far employed only 17 input inspectors.

Studies by government and other private investigators such as International Growth Centre show that the vast majority of fertilizer samples in the country are substandard.

Additionally, very few of the allegedly improved seeds show success in producing large crops. International Growth Centre points out in its report that agricultural inputs sold at the retail level in Uganda are often fake or of very poor quality, as such the return on investment from these technologies is much lower than expected.

The toll-free call centre has been set-up by Cabral Tech Limited, an agricultural software company working with the Ministry of Agriculture.

The Chief Executive Officer Cabral Tech Limited, Uhuru Selubiri, said they are working with village extension officers, religious leaders and people selling agricultural inputs to distribute the toll-free number to farmers and make inquiries about agricultural services.

Cabral Tech Limited also announced it has invented web and mobile applications to help farmers get access to information on different products. The crop production management software application allows farmers to keep crop records and all farming data in a centralised place, generating instant report insights on the daily progress of their crops based on seasons and cropping years.

The agri-wallet application allows farmers to save and also access credit services based on their credit score and find better insurance packages.

while the livestock management application that has been designed for large scale commercial livestock enterprises that need detailed livestock management records and data. It helps livestock farms manage herds, breeding, and financial records. It has feed formulation tools and returns in investment estimation tools.

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Makerere Staff Leaders Removed from University Webmail

Makerere, Kampala: The leaders of Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) and Makerere Administrative Staff Association (MASA) have challenged the Vice-Chancellor (VC) to explain the circumstances under which they were suspended from the University’s webmail, saying the move undermines their ability to perform their University duties.

theCooperator has learned that on 2nd August 2019, Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe issued a directive ordering for the removal of Mr. Bennet Magara and Prof. Edward Nector Mwavu the chairperson and acting chairperson of MASA and MUASA respectively; from the University webmail system, allegedly following staff pronouncement of a sit-down strike on 1st Aug.

On 6th Aug 2019, the two staff members wrote to the Director of ICT support (DICTS), who is in charge of the webmail communication system at Makerere University over what they then considered an anomaly, after they failed to log into their accounts on the University webmail.

However, in a surprising twist, on 13th August 2019, the two received a reply from the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe instead, noting that it was him who had directed their suspension from the University mailing system. “This is to inform you that the directive to remove you from the webmail list was made by me due to your misuse of the privileges accorded to you in contravention of the communications policy of the University. Please note that the directive will remain in force until further notice,” Nawangwe’s letter reads in part.

In an interview with the Cooperator yesterday, Prof. Mwavu decried what he called the Vice Chancellor’s use of “underhand methods” to curtail free communication at the University. “It’s surprising he calls it a privilege when it’s everyone’s right within the University that they’re on the webmail. When I come to work, these are the tools of my trade in my performing duties as a lecturer and researcher,” a frustrated Mwavu lamented.

Mwavu revealed that the webmail remains the official communication channel for all University matters, and that for now three weeks, he and Magara have been kept in the dark on University matters, only depending on colleagues for information.

Now, they want the Vice-Chancellor to explain to them how they abused their “privilege.” In a joint letter dated 19th August 2019 which theCooperator has seen, the two write thus: “We are humbly requesting you to educate us on how we misused the privileges of using the University webmail and the specific provisions of the University Communications Policy we contravened. This will be very useful in guiding us in the use of the webmail in the future when you finally rescind the directive,”

The webmail is the University’s official mailing system and lecturers are supposed to use it to conduct all official business of the University, from giving instructions to students, receiving their coursework, doing academic study/research, to pursuing strategic projects and collaborations for the University nationally and internationally.

Mwava says they’ll remain civil and patient in seeking redress from the university authorities, but warned that their suspension sets a dangerous precedent for the University: “He may think he is affecting Mwava and Magara, but there are certain things you cannot simply because you have been annoyed. The University should a place where we try to understand society and devise solutions for amicable disagreement and problem-solving,” he said.

Asked for their next course of action in case the Vice-Chancellor remained reluctant to rescind his order, Mwava said, “Depending on his reply, we shall see our next step to take.”

We were unable to reach Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu Musoke, the Director of Communications and International Relations at the University for Comment, as he was still held up in a meeting by press time.

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Trade Minister on the Spot Over Sugarcane Farmers Arrested in Kenya

Kampala, Uganda. Parliament on Tuesday tasked government to explain the continuous arrest and mistreatment of Ugandan farmers trying to sell their sugar cane in Kenya.

The House also questioned if the government was committed to the plight of sugar cane out-growers who are currently stranded with hundreds of tons of cane following the closure of sugar factories in Busoga sub-region.

The call follows a concern raised on the floor of the House on Tuesday by Bugabula South Member of Parliament Maurice Henry Kibalya. According to the MP, the farmers sought a market in Kenya in desperation after sugar manufacturers in Uganda failed to buy their cane.

“Our farmers are desperate and the only option they have is to sell their cane in neighbouring Kenya to earn a living from their harvested cane…but they are being arrested at the border by police attached to Customs,” said Mr. Kibalya.

“Ugandan farmers are not smuggling timber or tobacco to Kenya but they are taking their sugar cane there because of the ready market in Kenya and fair prices,” he added.

Kibalya told the House that farmers are stranded with hundreds of trucks packed at the factories of main sugar manufacturers in the country with no hope of selling anytime soon.

He was joined by other MPs from Busoga sub-region who said the out-growers have made several attempts to meet the Minister for Trade Amelia Kyambadde but failed.

This report angered MPs who accused government during the plenary of deliberately frustrating the out-growers and described the slow response from the government to the concerns as insensitive and aimed at further marginalizing the already poor farmers.

“The minister must explain, in whose interested are you sitting in that office,” asked Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal.

Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde’s attempts to explain efforts by her office could not hold and further angered the MPs who accused her of failing to solve challenges faced by sugar cane farmers in the country.

Amidst yelling from MPs, Minister Kyambadde then asked that her office be given time to verify the allegations of the arrest of Ugandan out-growers in Kenya.

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga questioned if the people of Busoga deserve the ill-treatment from the government.

“Sugar cane is what people in Busoga earn a living from, the fishing business on a large scale is no more in Busoga as the government took over the lakes. So what do you want the people of Busoga to do?” asked Kadaga.

“Kenyans have come here buy maize but they have never been arrested then why are they arresting Ugandan farmers,” added Kadaga.

Concerns over surplus cane from out-growers was raised in plenary two months ago and the Trade minister was tasked to address the distresses but no report has been made to Parliament on the matter.

In June, Chairman Uganda Sugar Manufacturers Association chairman Jim Kabeho explained that the manufacturers could not take cane due to surplus.

“Originally a ton of sugarcane was being bought at Shs125,000 but now manufacturers are willing to pay Shs100,000 per tonne,” he said. Adding, “But the farmers in Busoga region could not agree to (this price) and (yet) they have no option beyond that.”

According to the farmers.co.ke website, a tonne of sugar cane in Kenya is selling at Kshs4, 200 which is approximately Ushs152, 600, a price higher than that which manufacturers in Uganda are paying per tonne of sugar cane.

The government in June placed a ban on exporting cane. But farmers have defied this veto explaining that they needed to sell their sugar cane at a better price.

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NARO Moots Anti-Tick Vaccine

Kampala, Uganda: The National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) is in advanced stages of producing an anti-tick vaccine, theCooperator has learned.

Speaking at a policy dialogue organized by NARO and The Uganda We Want (TUWW) think tank held on 2nd August at one of NARO’s livestock research station in Namulonge, Dr. Yona Baguma, the Research Agency’s Deputy Director for Research told participants that NARO is developing four different acaricides to protect animals against the tick parasite, including two other diseases – Foot and Mouth Disease and African Swine Fever.

In 2016, a study by the US-National Institute of Health found that the tick parasite is the leading disease vector in Africa, contributing 30% calf deaths and accounting for nearly 90% of disease control costs for the continent.

The same study, conducted in 14 districts of central and western Uganda showed that Uganda ranks amongst the countries hit hardest by ticks and tick-borne diseases, and NARO’s National Agricultural Livestock Research Institute(NALRI) has warned that the ever-present risk of remnant animal deaths to tick parasites is making livestock rearing a risky venture for local farmers and cooperatives engaged in the agricultural sector.

According to NARO, commercial farmers and cooperatives that keep exotic breeds and their crossbreeds face greater risk, compared to those with local breeds which are historically famed for being more resistant to the tick parasite.

The study by the US scientists found that commercial farmers rely mainly on acaricides for disease control, pushing the government to spend a lot of money on importing anti-tick acaricides.

“For foot and mouth disease, Uganda spends about shs.2 trillion annually to import the vaccines. We spend about shs.3 trillion to manage tick and tick-borne diseases alone,” noted Dr. David Nanyenyi, a researcher with NALRI.

Despite the massive spending, Dr. Nanyenyi notes that overtime, the proliferation of fake acaricides on the market, wrong drug dilution by farmers, poor application methods and increased acaricide pressure have accelerated acaricide resistance to up to 90%.

Cases of rampant acaricide resistance have especially been reported in western and central cattle corridors, where exotic breeds of cattle are mainly kept for dairy production.

Now, NARO is promising a breakthrough. Dr. Diksoka Moses, a veterinary doctor at NALRI says that the research agency has developed a homegrown system of developing vaccines through its Animal Health Research and Development Program and that it would soon produce a remedy to the tick problem.

“As an institute, we have built capacity and we are better positioned to give support to the government. We are aware that ticks cost this country a lot of money on an annual basis, and what we have done as NARO is to come up with anti-tick vaccine molecules which are now being tested,” he told theCooperator.

“When the vaccine is out, we will also do an evaluation and give our customers the confidence that the product we are giving them is efficient,” he added.

Supplementing Diksoka, Dr. Baguma noted that the research was now at the processing stage and that the institute was counting on the government to financially support the research’s completion. “We are presenting the country with a sustainable solution to the tick problem. When we’re done, we hope that the government can give us money to set up facilities to begin vaccine manufacture,” he said.

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West Nile Growers Cooperative Union stuck with Shs.6b worth of tobacco

Arua, Uganda: West Nile Growers Cooperative Union in Arua is struggling to sell off over 6,000 metric tons of tobacco harvested this season, thecooperator has established.

The Dilemma follows the Union’s decision to cancel the contract of its longstanding customer Continental Tobacco Uganda Ltd, after the latter failed to pay the union’s 9,000 farmers for tobacco it took last year worth Shs.7.5b.

Speaking to theCooperator on Friday, the Union Manager, Mr. Moses Itukebo said that the last two seasons had been plentiful for the Union, leaving them struggling with finding a market. This year alone, the union has in stock over 6,000 metric tons of tobacco worth Shs.6billion, from 4,500 farmers affiliated to the union. “The challenge we have now is finding an alternative market after parting ways with Continental Tobacco Uganda Ltd,” he said.

He said that the Union had dragged Continental Tobacco Uganda Limited to court over the unpaid dues, and they had agreed to an out of court settlement. “When our lawyers wrote to them threatening to sue, they wrote back and paid an advance of shs500m, leaving them with a balance of shs6.5 billion that they have promised to pay in installments over time,” explained Itukebo.

Other market players in West Nile include Alliance One International (AOI) that took over from British American Tobacco, and Global Leaf Pool (GLP) Ltd that Itukebo says has a small purchasing power.

Last year, Uganda earned over Shs.18 billion from tobacco sales, making it one of the highest agricultural export earners for the country.

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