MAAIF top leadership retreats at Kyankwanzi. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries top management/ leadership are holding a five-day policy and strategy retreat at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi.
The team led by the Cabinet Minister Hon. Frank Tumwebaze started the retreat on Monday 27 Sep 2021 by unpacking the components of each stage of the value/enterprise selection, production and productivity, post-harvest handling and storage, value addition and market. They later broke into groups to discuss the strategies.
In attendance is the Minister for State for Animal Industry Bright Rwamirama, State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Adoa, Permanent Secretary Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama, commissioners and directors of agencies among others.
Tumwebaze notes that it was time to unpack sectoral policies, strategies and programs, re-align the budget and draw a harmonised, coordinated and cohesive blueprint strategy for the sector for the next five years.
“It’s like three in one. You have fisheries, you have animal and crop husbandry, and they are all in one. So, it is sometimes a challenge that people are not coordinating and yet the challenges of production cut across. The infrastructure in this is the same in the other. Some diagnostic laboratories could be shared let’s say in fisheries and crops or animals,” Tumwebaze said.
In a bid for the Ministry of Agriculture to cascade the message to the farmers the officials believe that if a farmer is growing for exports, then right from the time of enterprise selection and production he or she must bear in mind the standards of production, standards of post-harvest, the standard of storage up to the marketing.
The officials will also have interactions with other agencies that relate to the programme approach of the NDP 3 framework including areas of sustainable markets.
Speaking at the opening of the retreat the 3rd Deputy Prime Minister Rht. Hon. Nakadama Rukia Isanga who represented Vice President H.E. Jesca Alupo put emphasis on officers leaving offices as much as they can to engage in farmers education and establish the actual needs.
“Should they be growing and selling raw materials? Should they move to add a little bit of value at primary value addition level or should they go to full-scale processing level?” Nakadama said that government efforts are focusing on the need to build linkages with the private sector and the farmers and supporting each other to ensure that each party’s role in the value chain is well played.to make agriculture rewarding and sustainable as a business.
Also, read; MAAIF appoints a committee to study the effectiveness of agrochemicals and animal health products
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