Will new specialised machinery turn around NAGRC&DB fortunes? 

Last week, the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) unveiled a multi-million machinery to utilize its vast farmland of 225 square miles spread countrywide.

Dr Bright Rwamirama, the state minister for Animal Industry, described the move as a gamechanger to fulfil the ministry’s mandate of bolstering food and animal feed security in Uganda. As GEOFREY SERUGO writes, the agency is on course to triple its production within the next two years.

Following years of hiring equipment from contractors, the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), through NAGRC&DB, has gone for the bold move of acquiring its own machinery to increase its animal feed production through the seed multiplication program.

NAGRC&DB is the organization in charge of conserving and improving animal genetic resources, as well as overseeing animal breeding programs across the country; this move intends to provide livestock farmers with high-quality, inexpensive, and locally produced animal feeds in order to increase livestock productivity.

Last year, NAGRC&DB, using its factory at Kasolwe farm, produced slightly more than 500,000 tonnes of corn silage and 756,000 bags of compounded animal feed for cattle, chicken, goats and pigs on its various farms countrywide. Farmers received a significant portion of the feed at subsidized prices.

However, the agency was unable to meet the overwhelming demand due to the rising costs of hiring machinery. This backdrop prompted them to take the ambitious step of purchasing their own machinery.

During the unveiling of the equipment on October 31 at the NAGRC&DB headquarters in Entebbe, Ben Anyama, the board chairperson, stated that the acquisition fulfills the board’s aim to make the agency self-sustaining. Therefore, the entity’s productivity is expected to increase significantly.

As NAGRC&DB, we possess over 225 square miles of land in this country. Therefore, we thought it’s very important for us to produce our own feed because it has been very expensive for us to purchase feeds. These machines will help a lot to see that we have really achieved the purpose,” he said.

“The President is always talking about conserving our indigenous cows, pigs, goats and chicken. We also thought it’s very important if we have our feeds so that it is cheaper for all Ugandans to benefit from NAGRC&DB. We also plan to supply these feeds to empower programmes like the Parish Development Model so that we reduce expenditure on feeds.”

Dr Peter Beine, executive director of the NAGRC&DB, stated that with new machinery, the entity will be able to mass-produce feeds to meet the nutrition demands of Uganda’s rapid livestock breeding programs while also supporting the livelihoods of livestock producers throughout Uganda.

“We are not only supplying improved breeding stock but also providing our farmers with the initial nutritional support they need to succeed. This program is a testament to our commitment to enhancing agricultural productivity and resilience in Uganda’s livestock sector,” he said.

Among the machines commissioned are three 155-hp wheeled agricultural tractors, six 10-tonne capacity tipper trailers, three primary and three secondary disc harrows, and three precision row planters with large seed and fertiliser capacity. Other equipment includes three long-range boom sprayers with an 18-meter span and tree forage harvesters.

The Kasolwe stock farm, which has a daily capacity of 75 metric tonnes, will use this equipment to manufacture important feed ingredients, primarily maize and soybean, on a large scale for use in compounded feeds at NAGRC&DB’s processing plants.

On his part, Rwamirama stated that this is a brave step for NAGRC&DB since quality genetics and nutrition are the two most critical factors for success as a livestock farmer.

“Previously, NAGRC&DB had three core missions, but we expanded to include food and nutrition, as well as the provision of animal feeds throughout the country.” We began the programme with some obstacles, but we now have tools. As a result, it was only proper to proceed in a sustainable manner. First and foremost, I want to congratulate the board, the executive director, and his staff, but we must move forward in a sustainable manner with these machines.”

Context

Despite having large swathes of land, NAGRC&DB has consistently struggled to utilize it, which has led to encroachment and land grabs.

The high cost of hiring specialised equipment, particularly when relocating it to different farms across the country, has not helped matters. These include Kasolwe, Nshaara, Aswa, Lusenke, Maruzi and Njeru, among others.

Mark Ninsiima, NAGRC&DB’s estates manager, said that animal nutrition is the most expensive part of livestock farming, accounting for up to 85% of production expenditures.

“Recognising this, we have embarked on an ambitious plan to boost feed production capacity and reduce farmers’ burdens. So, we intend to increase our production within two years, and we will provide free animal feeds to farmers for the first six months of their agro-enterprises to help them develop a stable production base. We will offer farmers high-quality, locally made animal feeds at subsidised prices. These include compounded poultry, piggery and dairy cattle feeds, as well as corn and Chloris gayana hay bales.

Ninsiima noted that it costs more than Shs 1m to produce maize on just an acre.

“Just to start, contractors have been charging us Shs 150,000 per acre for ploughing, which is done at least twice a season. Additionally, the cost of preparing the soil is approximately Shs 100,000. The standard cost for planting is approximately Shs 180,000. You must return and apply pesticides, which cost around Shs 70,000 per acre, twice. This must be done before harvesting,” he explains.

“Now, harvesting and post-harvest handling can cost around Shs 500,000 an acre to do those operations.

This clearly indicates that we have been spending more than Shs 1m per acre. Therefore, a single square mile can cost more than Shs 640m, but with these new machines, we can reduce that cost by more than half, while simultaneously increasing our production by more than three times.

BACKGROUND

NAGRC&DB was one of the government agencies tasked with large-scale feed production in 2022 as part of President Museveni’s food and animal feed security policy. Despite limitations in mechanisation and irrigation, the agency produced 51,692 metric tonnes of corn silage, 9,263 metric tonnes of maize grain and 192 metric tonnes of soybeans over its ranch network.

Climate change and erratic rainfall patterns have recently compounded the challenge of maintaining consistent feed quality and availability for livestock farmers.