This week, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (Maaif) unveiled its strategic development plan for 2025/2026 to 2029/2030, along with the Maaif Service Delivery Standards and the Maaif Client Charter, aimed at transforming Uganda’s agriculture sector.
The documents will provide a comprehensive framework for agricultural transformation, aligning with the Fourth National Development Plan and National Planning Authority Development Plan Regulations of 2018.
The strategic development plan outlines six strategic objectives, supported by programme implementation action plans and a robust monitoring-evaluation framework. The plan’s budget for the next five years is approximately Shs17 trillion.
That the government has come up with a strategic development plan for the agriculture sector for the next five years is a welcome move. However, many followers of governance in Uganda will tell you that the lack of strategic plans has never been our problem. The problem has always been how to implement these beautiful plans.
As stated by Maj Gen David Kasura Kyomukama, the Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary, during the launch, the sector employs more than 65 per cent of the labour force and contributed 26.1 per cent to GDP in FY 2024/25, making it the backbone of our economy.
However, the sector has gone through some serious challenges over the past decades that need serious intervention. The majority of Ugandan farmers rely on rainfall for farming, and the increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns, droughts, and floods have greatly affected their yields.
The outbreak of diseases and pests such as Banana Bacterial Wilt, Cassava Brown Streak Disease, and Foot and Mouth Disease, among others, has left many farmers counting losses.
Also, post-harvest challenges, such as inadequate storage, poor sanitation, and limited processing capacity, that have sometimes led to our products being rejected by neighbouring countries because of contamination, this strategic plan could not have come at a better time.
However, these documents and their effects need to be felt by the common farmer if we are to transform our agriculture-led economy.
To begin with, Parliament must ensure that the Shs17 trillion needed by the sector over the next five years is made available to them. The excuse of lack of funds should be a thing of the past if we are to enhance our production and competitiveness.
The Maaif Client Charter, which allows farmers and stakeholders to hold agencies accountable for service delivery delays, should be taken seriously. Targets should be set for the various levels, and people should be held accountable for the failures.
This strategic development plan gives Uganda a chance to overcome the hurdles facing the sector and improve productivity. But it has to be fully implemented for it to be effective.