Government Told to Finance Organic Farming
By Our reporter
KAMPALA – Government has been told to incorporate organic financing into the national budget to fund small scale farmers especially in the coffee sector to Uganda’ foreign income. According to Mr. Chariton Namuwoza, Chief Executive Officer, National Organic Movement of Uganda (NOGAMU), the adjustment will enable the promotion of organic farming, a requirement to export to the European Union, one of the biggest coffee markets.
“Coffee contributes a huge income to Uganda’ foreign exchange, by promoting organic farming it will drastically improve the country foreign exchange earnings like Uganda’s cash cow,” he told East African Vanguard during the national organic week 2023 at Hotel Africana. It Kicks off with the Coffee Organic Dialogue.
Uganda has achieved a historic milestone in its coffee exports, generating an impressive US940.3 million in revenues for the 2022/2023 coffee year that concluded on September 30. This represents a remarkable 7 per cent increase compared to the previous year, attributed to a surge in export volumes.
Data from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) indicates that the East African nation exported 6.14 million 60kg bags of coffee in the last fiscal year, surpassing the 5.86 million bags exported in the preceding year. The robust performance was particularly notable in the robusta variety.
Organic agriculture is a holistic production management system which aims to avoid the use of synthetic and harmful pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives to reach a long term goal of sustainable production of crops and animals.
Namuwoza called upon actors in the coffee value chain to adopt the use of organic inputs for increased production and markets.
“As a country, Uganda needs to embrace sustainable farming technologies and inputs. With Organic inputs Uganda, will address both food safety, nutrition and food security,” he added.
Abubakar Muhammad Moki, Commissioner Policy Development and Capacity Building, Office of the President-Cabinet Secretariat said Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is in the advanced stage of formulation of the Organic Agriculture Bill.
“Bill will be crucial in operationalizing the recent National Organic Agriculture Policy put forth by the Ministry in December of 2019,” he added.
Moki hailed NOGAMU, partners and all stakeholders for the commitment they have shown towards improving the agricultural sector.
Meanwhile the NOGAMU Organic Academy started admission. Interested youth entrepreneurs can now get skills in value -addition as part of our organic academy program. Register for the intake that started in August 2023.
