Locally-owned seed companies involving in the production of high-yielding crop varieties to smallholder farmers have become the largest seed producers in sub-Saharan Africa, signaling a surging demand for certified seeds.
Data from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa reveals that 80 small- to medium-size African seed companies in 16 African countries are on track to produce over 80,000 metric tonnes of professionally certified seeds.
AGRA is a Nairobi-based non-governmental organisation working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger.
Since the emergence of private seed companies in the Sub Saharan Africa in the late 1990’s, Tanzania leads in the East African region with 14 local and four foreign owned companies involving in the production of high yielding seeds compared with 10 local firms and three foreign firms in Uganda.
Kenya has seven local and four foreign firms compared with only three local firms dealing in commercial seed production for farmers in Rwanda.
Executives in the seed sector told The EastAfrican that the surge in demand for high yielding seed varieties are the key drivers for an increase in local firms dealing in commercial high yielding seed production for farmers.
“The demand for seeds is rising every year in Uganda and the neighbouring countries-Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan – and that explains the rapid growth of the sector because of the available market,” Uganda’s Pearl Seeds managing director Richard Musagazi said.
Ms. Jospehine Okot, the managing director at Victoria Seeds in Uganda told The EastAfrican that farmers in east African region are increasingly adapting high yielding seed varieties, as population growth raises amidst limited land.
AGRA’s Director of Program for Africa’s Seed Systems Dr. Joe DeVries said Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit has been evident in the rapid growth of local seed companies.
“The rapid growth of local seed companies over a very short time period is a testament to the entrepreneurial spirit percolating in communities across Africa and to the pent-up demand among Africa’s smallholder farmers for improved, high-yield crop varieties,” said Dr. DeVries said.
The AGRA report notes that there are already indications that increasing access to the improved seed is helping farmers realize an increase in food production by 50 to 100 per cent out of the same amount of land.
For example, 69 percent of farmers surveyed in Kenya, 74 percent in Nigeria, and 79 percent in Mozambique said improved maize varieties had allowed them to double the amount of maize harvested per hectare.
Similarly, 79 percent of farmers surveyed in Ghana reported doubling rice yields, and 85 percent of farmers surveyed in Uganda reported doubling yields from cowpea.
However, the surge in demand for high yielding seeds and other agricultural inputs including fertilizer and herbicides has led to an increase in counterfeits in the market, according to officials in the sector.
“It is because of high demand for high yielding seeds, surpassing supply that we are experiencing increased incidences of counterfeits farm inputs,” Ms. Okot said.
Counterfeit products have been identified as the biggest threat to agriculture in Sub Saharan Africa, affecting germination, crop health, food security and production.
In this scenario, even as more than 70 per cent of the Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is directly engaged in agriculture, production has been hampered with low funding to acquire farm inputs by farmers including seeds or the effects of counterfeits have tended to discourage able farmers from buying inputs and hence low agricultural production.
Dr. DeVries said national governments need to free up the supply of foundation seed developed by their public-sector breeding programs and offer tax incentives to encourage investments in processing equipment, irrigation technology, and other seed production infrastructure.
Also, local seed companies need more access to investment capital, and farmers need to learn more about the benefits of investing in quality seed of superior varieties. END
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
South Korea opens a research centre in Uganda
Rural Development Administration of South Korea has opened up a research centre in Uganda aimed at increasing the country’s agricultural productivity through research.
Executives at the state-run agricultural research institute at the National Crop Resources Laboratories, Kawanda, will provide technical cooperation for a range of activities, from agricultural development projects to the training of Ugandan researchers and farmers.
RDA Deputy Administrator Dr. Ra Seungyong said Korea Project on International Agriculture-Uganda will work with NARO in developing locally adaptable technologies and seeds by sharing knowledge and experience with the country’s researchers.
“We also hope to disseminate localized technologies and practices to local farmers through demonstration projects as well as build better research capacity through exchange programmes for scientists and experts,” Dr. Seungyong said in Kampala last week during the launch of the new centre.
So far, KOPIA-Uganda has already partnered with National Animal Genetic Resource Center and Data Bank to come up with a preservation protocol of the Ankole Semen and plans are underway to unveil a $3.5 million farmer’s training college in Mpigi District in July.
The new development comes at the time Uganda’s agricultures sector is struggling with low funding amidst employing over 70 per cent of the population, the scenario that has consistently led to low contribution to the to the country’s Gross Domestic Product compared with other sectors like services and manufacturing.
In Uganda, agriculture’s contribution to GDP has averaged 20 per cent for the past five years, with growth figures as low as three per cent.
Dr. Ambrose Agona, the director general at NARO said the new partnership with the Korean scientists will boost agricultural productivity, which has over the years remained low leading to low incomes to farmers, food insecurity and malnutrition.
“We strongly believe that this relationship is going to uplift our Ugandan farmers from subsistence farming to commercial in the coming years,” Dr. Agona said, in reference to South Korea’s development model.
For the last 50 years, South Korea has experienced dramatic and unprecedented transformation in its agriculture sector, driven by revolutionary technological advancement, which set the war-torn nation free from chronic famine and food shortage.
Having almost no natural resources and always suffering from overpopulation in its small territory, which deterred continued population growth and the formation of a large internal consumer market, South Korea later adapted an export-oriented economic strategy to fuel its economy.
Currently, South Korea is one of the world's wealthiest nations, and is a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G-20 major economies.
The Agriculture Minister in Uganda Dr. Zarababel Nyiira said it is time for Ugandan farmers to benefit from South Korea’s technologies to grow their incomes especially with value addition.
South Korea established RDA in 2009 to share its experience and knowledge with the developing countries developing for economic transformation.
RDA has now set up 20 KOPIA centers in Africa, Southeast Asia, central Asian states, and Latin America to deal with local and regional issues in agriculture and rural development such as food security, resource depletion and climate change.
In Africa, KOPIA has research centres in Kenya, DR Congo, Algeria, and Ethiopia working on various projects and technologies such as rice growing and artificial insemination in livestock. END
Friday, May 2, 2014
Scientists to release new varieties of drought tolerant sweet potatoes in Uganda
Crop scientists are to release five lines of conventionally bred drought tolerant sweet potatoes to farmers next year in Uganda in response to varying weather patterns.
The development of the drought tolerant sweet potato lines, whose research started in 2008, is being conducted by Makerere University’s Research Institute, Kabanyolo, in collaboration with the International Potato Center based in Peru, National Agricultural Research Organisation, and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.
Mikocheni Agricultural Institute (Tanzania), University of Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia), Rwanda Agricultural Research Board as well as Bio Crops Uganda Limited and Chain Uganda are the other partnering institutions in carrying out the research.
Lead scientist Dr. Ssetumba Mukasa told The EastAfrican that 11 lines have so far been lined for final evaluation in Hoima and Bushenyi Districts, western Uganda, before presenting the most desired lines to the National Variety Release Committee for further evaluation and release to farmers.
“We are now working with the farmers evaluating the promising clones in which we hope to select at least five lines basing on drought tolerant, yield, farmers’ choice and tolerance to the sweet potato virus disease,” Dr. Mukasa said.
Research shows that sweet potato virus disease (SPVD) is the most harmful disease affecting the crop in East Africa, Dr. Mukasa said.
It is caused by dual infection of sweet potato feathery mottle potyvirus (SPFMV) transmitted by aphids and sweet potato chlorotic stunt crinivirus (SPCSV) transmitted by whiteflies.
Whereas sweet potato crop affected by feathery mottle potyvirus do not show any sign of the disease, those affected by chlorotic stunt crinivirus are characterised by stunting, purpling, and yellowing of leaves of the potato leaves.
Apparently, SPVD is widespread in major sweet potato growing areas in Uganda especially in western regions due to monoculture, a scenario that sometimes leads up to 98 per cent yield loss and extinction of the early maturing and high yielding cultivars.
Dr. Mukasa said a total of 5,000 sweet potato lines have been crossed and screened for the desired traits since the beginning of the project.
Sweet potato in Uganda is regarded as the third most important starchy staple crop after cassava and bananas, according to the NARO, with annual production standing at about 4.5 million tonnes compared with 5.5 million tonnes in Tanzania and 10 million tonnes per hectare in Kenya.
Ranked first in Africa and second globally only after China in the production of sweet potato, its productivity has remained low due to a number of factors including pests, diseases, limited availability of improved varieties and poor husbandry practices.
Having been known as an African orphan crop, sweet potato economic value in the country remains scanty, with limited data on exports.
Sweet potato production in Uganda is commonly grown in northern, eastern, and western regions, either as a staple food, complement, reserve during famine or a source of income to the rural population.
Dr. Gorrettie Ssemakula, a plant breeder at NARO told The EastAfrican that sweet potato especially the orange-fleshed variety is also rich in Vitamin A that could help fight malnutrition in children.
Uganda Farmers Federation President Charles Ogang said the drought tolerant sweet potato varieties will help farmers boost production and incomes amidst the escalating drought.
“For some time now, we have not been marketing sweet potatoes. But we are planning to carry out sensitisation to our farmers on its potential market in the region soon especially for the orange-fleshed varieties,” Mr. Ogang said.
Uganda grows mainly white or cream-fleshed sweet potato and the release of the new crop varieties could boost food security as well as animal feeds.
So far, NARO through the National Sweet potato Program developed and released 20 varieties between 1995 and 2010, of which, seven were orange-fleshed while 13 were non-orange.
Uganda’s scientists are also hopping to start confined trials of genetically modified strains of potato designed to be resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the fungus that causes potato blight, in July this year.
The scientists have filed an application to the National Biosafety Committee seeking permission to carry out confined field trials. End
The development of the drought tolerant sweet potato lines, whose research started in 2008, is being conducted by Makerere University’s Research Institute, Kabanyolo, in collaboration with the International Potato Center based in Peru, National Agricultural Research Organisation, and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.
Mikocheni Agricultural Institute (Tanzania), University of Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia), Rwanda Agricultural Research Board as well as Bio Crops Uganda Limited and Chain Uganda are the other partnering institutions in carrying out the research.
Lead scientist Dr. Ssetumba Mukasa told The EastAfrican that 11 lines have so far been lined for final evaluation in Hoima and Bushenyi Districts, western Uganda, before presenting the most desired lines to the National Variety Release Committee for further evaluation and release to farmers.
“We are now working with the farmers evaluating the promising clones in which we hope to select at least five lines basing on drought tolerant, yield, farmers’ choice and tolerance to the sweet potato virus disease,” Dr. Mukasa said.
Research shows that sweet potato virus disease (SPVD) is the most harmful disease affecting the crop in East Africa, Dr. Mukasa said.
It is caused by dual infection of sweet potato feathery mottle potyvirus (SPFMV) transmitted by aphids and sweet potato chlorotic stunt crinivirus (SPCSV) transmitted by whiteflies.
Whereas sweet potato crop affected by feathery mottle potyvirus do not show any sign of the disease, those affected by chlorotic stunt crinivirus are characterised by stunting, purpling, and yellowing of leaves of the potato leaves.
Apparently, SPVD is widespread in major sweet potato growing areas in Uganda especially in western regions due to monoculture, a scenario that sometimes leads up to 98 per cent yield loss and extinction of the early maturing and high yielding cultivars.
Dr. Mukasa said a total of 5,000 sweet potato lines have been crossed and screened for the desired traits since the beginning of the project.
Sweet potato in Uganda is regarded as the third most important starchy staple crop after cassava and bananas, according to the NARO, with annual production standing at about 4.5 million tonnes compared with 5.5 million tonnes in Tanzania and 10 million tonnes per hectare in Kenya.
Ranked first in Africa and second globally only after China in the production of sweet potato, its productivity has remained low due to a number of factors including pests, diseases, limited availability of improved varieties and poor husbandry practices.
Having been known as an African orphan crop, sweet potato economic value in the country remains scanty, with limited data on exports.
Sweet potato production in Uganda is commonly grown in northern, eastern, and western regions, either as a staple food, complement, reserve during famine or a source of income to the rural population.
Dr. Gorrettie Ssemakula, a plant breeder at NARO told The EastAfrican that sweet potato especially the orange-fleshed variety is also rich in Vitamin A that could help fight malnutrition in children.
Uganda Farmers Federation President Charles Ogang said the drought tolerant sweet potato varieties will help farmers boost production and incomes amidst the escalating drought.
“For some time now, we have not been marketing sweet potatoes. But we are planning to carry out sensitisation to our farmers on its potential market in the region soon especially for the orange-fleshed varieties,” Mr. Ogang said.
Uganda grows mainly white or cream-fleshed sweet potato and the release of the new crop varieties could boost food security as well as animal feeds.
So far, NARO through the National Sweet potato Program developed and released 20 varieties between 1995 and 2010, of which, seven were orange-fleshed while 13 were non-orange.
Uganda’s scientists are also hopping to start confined trials of genetically modified strains of potato designed to be resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the fungus that causes potato blight, in July this year.
The scientists have filed an application to the National Biosafety Committee seeking permission to carry out confined field trials. End
Two Nation Media Group journalists have won awards in agriculture.
By Michael J. Ssali
CAMBRIDGE- UK-The Daily Monitor’s Lominda Afedraru emerged the best science writer in the two-year- media fellowship --- Bio-sciences for Farming in Africa.
Mr Isaac Khisa of The EastAfrican emerged the best business coverage writer and he was praised for his in-depth coverage by the judges, Julia Vitullo-Martin and Sharon Schmickle --- both senior journalists based in the US.
Ms Lominda was praised for her active, intensive and accurate coverage of agricultural science farming activities and bio-technology development in Uganda.
About 160 journalists from Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda participated in the fellowship that was coordinated in Cambridge University with funding from the John Templeton Foundation based in the USA
Nineteen of the best performing journalists were invited to spend a week-long meeting in the UK and to attend the crowning events of the fellowship.
The journalists were graded according to the quality of their published or broadcast work over the two-year-period of the fellowship.
Other award winners included Mr Pascal Boris Bagonza of Uganda’s Radio Sapienzia, who was praised for carrying out the best radio coverage of farming and food security issues.
Ms Arthur Adelaide of Multimedia Group/Joy News in Ghana emerged the best TV farming journalist in the fellowship. Mr Abdallah el Kurebe of Nigeria’s Newswatch Magazine/Vanguard was another winner praised for his in-depth coverage.
Mr Akiwunmi Kole Dawudu of News Agency of Nigeria was said to have presented the best ‘body of work-spot news’ by the judges, while Mr Said Mmanga of Changamoto Media Limited, Tanzania, scooped the award for the best coverage in an African Language (Kiswahili).
The award took place at St Edmund College Cambridge on April 10. The function also was attended by several other agricultural scientists from the UK, Africa, the USA, India and the Philippines.
See the story: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/NMG-journalists--win-international-agriculture-awards/-/688334/2280914/-/jhv85az/-/index.html
NMG journalists scoop awards
Ester Oluka
KAMPALA-Uganda-Four Nation Media Group (NMG) journalists have scooped top prizes at the inaugural National Journalism Awards initiated by the Africa Centre for Media Excellence (ACME), a non-profit organisation offering non-academic training for media practitioners.
The four, who were crowned on Wednesday night at a colourful ceremony in Kampala, were among the 14 winners who walked away with Shs2.5m each, a plaque and a certificate.
The Daily Monitor’s Edgar R. Batte and Agatha Ayebazibwe emerged winners in the sports and health categories respectively, while NTV’s Solomon Serwanja and The East African’s Isaac Khisa topped the national broadcast and business and finance categories.
Mr Batte was recognised for his story titled “Kyobe, Lutwama: Two brothers with their stars shining brightly.” The judges commended the story, which was about the rising stars of two cricketer brothers, for breaking through long-held biases and assumptions to present a riveting tale of the cricketers.
Ms Ayebazibwe, who is Daily Monitor’s health writer, was commended for her story “When prostate cancer runs in the family”. The story stood out because of its employment of expert sources to explain causes and treatment of prostate cancer.
NTV’s Serwanja was awarded for his story on terrorism, which judges said was a relevant wakeup call to the public and national security officials to raise the challenge of averting terror attacks.
Mr Khisa of The East African newspaper emerged top in the business, finance and economy reporting for his story “Uganda’s new tax will raise calling rates, hurt integration”.
According to Dr Peter Mwesige, ACME executive director, the awards event was the culmination of a year-long and painstaking process of recognising excellence in Uganda’s journalism.
“We were impressed by the enthusiasm with which journalists responded to our call for entries. By January 15, 2014 deadline, we had received more than 220 entries, which, to our knowledge, is a first in Uganda, if not in the region,” he said.
The chief guest at the function, Lady Justice Irene Mulyagonja, the Inspector General of Government (IGG), urged journalists to take the news value of accuracy seriously.
“Avoid misleading the readers, viewers and listeners. Always ensure to verify your information before it is published,” she said.
Winners commended
Daily Monitor’s Executive Editor Malcolm Gibson praised the winners and the function’s organisers.
“The journalism and journalists recognised, especially our own, but all of them, set examples we should follow on all the stories we do each and every day. So all the stories should be beacons to follow in our goal to become the most respected newspaper in Africa,” he said.
The awards which are the first of their kind were open to all journalists, full- time and freelance, working in Uganda for work published or broadcast between January and December 2013.
They will be held annually to recognise and promote excellence in reporting and to inspire quality journalism in the country.
Other winners and their media houses
Ronald Musoke (The Independent)-best agriculture reporting for his story “ Food politics.” He also won best national news reporting for print for the story “Marriage and Divorce Bill-100 years of acrimony and disappointment”.
Caroline Ariba (The New vision) - best arts and culture reporting for her story “how come emaali composer is a pauper?”
Paschal Bagonza (Radio Sapientia) - best environment reporting for his story “Energy efficient cook stoves”.
Haggai Matsiko (The Independent)-best explanatory reporting for his story “Nebanda death reports: New evidence shows how suspects could walk free.” He also won best extractives reporting for the story “Oil refinery threatened: World Bank sucked into compensation wrangle”.
Andrew Masinde (The New Vision) - best features reporting for the story “Raised by monkeys, Mayanja still struggles to be human”.
Charles Etukuri (The New Vision)-best Investigations reporting for the story “Cocaine:
The addiction that started as a joke”.
Emmanuel Ojok (Radio Pacis)-best news reporting for the story “Baby dumped, vultures carry foetus on tree”
Gerald Businge (Africulture.org) - best multimedia reporting for the story “fake seeds widespread”.
Edward Ssekika (The Observer)-best politics reporting for his story “District chairpersons stranded with big titles but no power”.
See the story: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/NMG-journalists-scoop-awards/-/688334/2274862/-/item/0/-/1cxb7yz/-/index.html
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