Agricultural sector performance: Highlights from official statement delivered by Hon. @FrankTumwebazek in parliament. Presenting the sector’s performance to Parliament today, Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze highlighted major gains across crops, livestock, fisheries, mechanisation and irrigation. ❇️ The sector grew by 6.5% in Financial Year 2025/26, contributing 26.2% of GDP. ❇️ Agricultural exports reached US$4.609 billion in 2025, while 7.12 million of Uganda’s 10.8 million households are engaged in agriculture. ❇️ On boosting production and productivity The National Agricultural Research Organization (@narouganda) has released 20 new crop varieties since 2021, including improved maize, rice, beans, potatoes and bananas. Additionally, Government distributed 24.4 million coffee seedlings to 49,695 beneficiaries in Northern Uganda, while 347,826 bags of fertiliser are being distributed to strategic crop farmers. ❇️ Livestock sub-sector Government has availed farmers with 5.1 million poultry chicks, 28,139 piglets, 18,659 improved meat goats and 14,972 dairy and beef breeding animals. The sector is benefiting from establishment of two liquid nitrogen plants, expanded breeding facilities and a new animal breeding centre in Bukedea. ❇️ Animal Health Uganda’s anti-tick vaccine facility at Nakyesasa can produce 3–6 million doses monthly, with 5 million doses in stock. Government has procured 44.8 million FMD vaccine doses, while 4 million cattle have been sprayed against tsetse flies. ❇️ Agricultural Mechanization Since 2018, Government has deployed 1,080 tractors and 1,350 power tillers. A further 10,000 tractors are targeted over five years. More than 4 million hand hoes have been distributed across 50 districts, with another 990,000 under procurement. ❇️ Water for Agricultural Production Ten large- and medium-scale irrigation schemes have added 7,203 hectares to formal irrigation. More than 6,657 solar-powered small and medium irrigation schemes have been established across 135 districts, adding 5,000 hectares under irrigation. The proposed National Irrigation Development Project aims to expand access countrywide. ❇️ Farm-to-market infrastructure Government has addressed about 2,110 km of farm-road bottlenecks, including 345 bridges/culverts and 59 swamp crossings. Another 642.8 km of road bottlenecks in 69 districts are under procurement evaluation. Additionally, 358 farmer organizations have gained storage and processing infrastructure, adding about 82,000 tonnes of storage capacity. ❇️ Dairy sub-sector Uganda now has 748 milk collection centres, 12 bulk milk collection centres and 200 registered milk tankers. Milk-processing facilities increased from 120 in 2019 to 170 in 2025. ❇️ Fisheries sub-sector: More than 5 million fingerlings were used to restock Lakes Mulehe and Chahafi. Government has mapped 140 fish breeding areas to protect spawning grounds and strengthen sustainable fisheries. ❇️ Oil palm Oil palm development is expanding across several hubs, supported by 567 km of farm roads. Current interventions in this sub-sector are aimed at addressing Uganda's vegetable-oil supply gap of 370,000 tonnes on annual average. ❇️ Agricultural extension remains a priority Despite the gains, funding constraints, inadequate agricultural extension staffing remains a critical issue, with efforts underway to improve staffing (Only 4,310 of 9,667 approved extension worker positions are filled) Hon. Tumwebaze also reassured the public of the commitment of government to ensure that gaps are addressed, in collaboration with local governments and line Ministries. #AgricultureUG @DESIREtheFARMER @PS_MAAIF @Charlie_Kemi 📸 @Parliament_Ug