Minister of Agriculture Vincent Sempijja

A government operation to close coffee factories and arrest a group of people behind the harmful coffee harvesting practices is soon extending to most parts of the country.

The operation which was first conducted in greater Masaka districts oversaw the closure of many coffee factories which were found processing wet coffee and has now closed to more than two months.

Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Vincent Sempijja, while justifying the closure of some of the coffee factories in the greater Masaka districts said that the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) acted basing on the deteriorating quality of coffee produced in the region.

Sempijja said that the operation against the harmful coffee harvesting practices is following a directive the President issued in September 2011, to arrest farmers and traders who buy wet coffee for spoiling the country’s international market.

Processed Uganda coffee beans

He said this practice negatively affects coffee quality and compromises incomes to farmers and the nation.

Sempijja said those who were arrested as coffee processors failed to adhere to the coffee standards put in place.

“If harmful coffee harvesting practices are not stopped, it will pose a serious danger to Uganda coffee competitiveness on global market and health of Ugandans and consumers abroad,” adding that; “I assure members of Parliament that this is a routine activity across the country and  all regions will be reached in an effort to standardize good coffee stakeholders and in the nation,” he said.

The post Crackdown on eliminating fake coffee on the market on-going across the country says minister Sempijja first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Minister of Agriculture, Vicent Ssempijja.

The minister of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries, Vincent Bamulangaki Sempijja, has revealed that the sector has earmarked over UGX 20bn in the next financial year for beef fattening to boost Uganda`s meat export.

Sempijja said this while officiating at the ground breaking ceremony  of the collection center for beef cattle opened up at the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC)`s land in Kisozi-Gomba district.

He said his ministry has embarked on a campaign to go into partnership with people who have got huge chunks of land to set up beef cattle centers, with an intention to boost and improve Uganda`s meat industry, he says the centers will help to manage and control beef cattle to get the quality meat that is needed on the international market.

Fattened bull search as this will be sort out for beef meat for the overseas market.

Sempijja added that the centers will also help in feeding the animals with quality hay and silage, and to control all diseases that affects herds, he says these will be collection points of all animals for beef from farmers before they go to abattoirs.

He said the little meat Uganda exports is ranked 5^th best in the world market because of its yellow fat that does not contain cholesterol mainly because the cows are naturally grazed.

The post Government earmarks 20 billion for export of fattened beef first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Museveni inspecting a farmer in Kabale over the weekend.

President Yoweri Museveni has encouraged farmers in the country, who are engaged in crop production, to instill in their minds the culture and practice of growing crops all year around using any improvised means of irrigation scheme to combat drought spells.

“The science of pumping water from a water source to a reservoir at a higher altitude, then pump it to the farm and irrigate the crops with help of solar powered water pump is the way forward for Uganda,” he said.

He observed that once the system is installed, it only requires more solar panels to increase the capacity for extension use to more users.

“The dry season is no longer a problem. Free water is available and people cry over drought season. The dry season is for those who are not enlightened and the uninformed. Even developed countries, which receive minimal level of rain level, have their agricultural practice on irrigation,” he added.

The President was today commissioning a solar water pumping irrigation system at Kyerero village, Nyamihanda Parish near Muhanga Township in Bukinda, Rubanda county, in Kabale district. The system was installed on the farm of Mr. Charles Kwehangaana Rutaro following the President’s pledge in 2010. Farmer Kwehangaana Rutaro grows apples, a variety of passion fruits and other crops on a two-acre piece of land. The enterprise earns him Shs.43 million per year.

The purpose of the installation was to demonstrate applications of solar water pumping as an economical and sustainable option for irrigated agricultural production.

While inspecting the project, President Museveni said that the purpose of his visit to the farm was to assess the effectiveness of solar water pumping irrigation scheme. He, therefore, tasked the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, former NAADS and the Ministry of Water and Environment, to install in the districts of Kabale, Kiryandongo, Masindi, Kaberamaido, Soroti, Katakwi, Kumi, Mukono and Luuka solar water pumping irrigation schemes. He reiterated government’s commitment to distributing more solar water pumps to the people.

“What I wanted to prove was the science behind the cost of locally established irrigation scheme”, he said.

Museveni inspects a farm which uses irrigation in Kabale district.

Addressing rally following the tour, the President told the people of Rukiga County that a good leader is one who guides people to shift away from mass eradication of poverty through modern methods of farming with accountability in mind. He, however, strongly warned them against agricultural practices in wetlands.

He commended the people of Rukiga County for voting the Movement overwhelmingly during the 2016 Presidential, Parliamentary and council level elections saying that this symbolized massive politically uprooting of the opposition from the area.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Vincent Ssempija, State Minister for Planning, Hon. David Bahati and State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations and area MP, Hon. Herbert Kabafunzaki, accompanied the President.

The post Museveni tells farmers in Kabale to irrigate year round to beat drought first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Minister of Agriculture, Vicent Ssempijja.

Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, earlier this week was forced to rush to the Teso sub region to assess the situation.

Sempijja said he was in Teso for a fact finding mission on what exactly has caused the drought in the area where many people are starving because of food crisis.

The minister visited residents of Omariai Parish, Katine Sub-county in Soroti district and told him of the hard hitting famine in the area which needs government intervention.

Jacinta Achen and Joseph Okiring residents of Omariai told the minister that, several families are now having one meal a day while the less fortunate ones have been compelled to eat tree leaves.

Achen said that the starvation has affected mostly the HIV/AIDS patients and their babies.

Teso sub region is among the places facing food shortage in the country.

Authorities and residents of the sub-region blame the food shortage on drought which dried up all crops in districts of Soroti, Serere, Amuria and Katakwi.

Ssempijja said that cabinet on several occasions has received reports on the drought in Teso though they had not received evidence to that effect, adding that his findings will be given to the cabinet and they respond accordingly.
He also promised to give them quick maturing seedlings when the rains start.

Parliament while debating about the drought situation before the recent recess passed a resolution after a motion moved by the Member of Parliament for Ngora district, Jacqueline Amongin, urging government to urgently give emergency food to areas in the country which are severely hit by food shortage as a result of drought.

The post Hunger hits Teso as agriculture minister Ssempijja rushes to assess the situation. first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Minister of Agriculture, Vicent Ssempijja.

The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, has started an initiative of revamping  an agricultural cluster development campaign that aims at sensitizing  farmers on a six year’s comprehensive plan to operationalize the non-agricultural technology agribusiness and advisory services component of the sector, that was earlier developed and launched in 2012.

Ssempijja started the campaign recently in Bukkulula Sub-County, Kalungu district while meeting district leaders at different levels including farmers, through which he requested them to embrace the new system if they are to achieve more out of their sweat.

The agriculture cluster project came into existence after a parliamentary approval of USD150m from the World Bank on 15^th September 2016.

According to Sempijja,  the financing agreement between government of Uganda and World Bank was signed on 23^rd September 2016, and five pilot districts have were selected including; Amuru, Iganga, Kalungu, Nebbi and Ntungamo, but that the project is expected to  later roll out to 40 districts.

A group of farmers learning various techniques.Government is encouraging them to be in groups such that they can access support.

Under this project, government is encouraging formation of farmer`s groups through its structures at district levels, tablets and simple smart phones are to be used to register all farmers from within their localities.

Ssempijja says that government wants all farmers to be registered to use the farmers register to bring agricultural services at the grass root.

He urged farmers to form associations or farmer groups to enable government reach them easily instead of operating as individuals.

Sempijja added that the president is tired of dealing with individual people whom he says often approach him for financial support disguised as member representatives but that they usually don’t remit the money to benefit others.

The project development objective is to raise on-farm productivity, and marketable volumes of selected agricultural commodities in specified geographic clusters focusing on commodities which include maize, rice, beans, cassava and coffee to enhance food security and export earnings from East and Central Africa (ECA) and Common markets for East and Southern Africa (COMESA) markets.

The post Ssempijja urges farmers to form groups to access government support first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.