The East Africa Agribusiness Magazine (Issue 4-Ug)

INTERVIEW

Value addition will give you better earnings

RESEARCH

Deadly viral disease threatens Uganda’s wheat

Aquaculture

Rwanda sees gold in fish rearing

Issue 04, January - February 2013

Price Ush 5000, Ksh 200, RwF 1500, SDP 8

INSIDE: Uganda’s honey finds its way into European market

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Inside: Start-up guide to bee-keeping

Start-up guide to

BEE-KEEPING

January - February 2013

11

Tasty HA S T O B E N, IT FOR Q UALITY CHICKE

Issue 04, January - February 2013 Price Ush 5000, Ksh 200, RwF 1500, SDP 8

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8 | LEAD STORY

How to preserve crops after harvest 11 | FARM GUIDE

Bee-Keeping: Simple to start, quick to bring big earnings 16 | RESEARCH

Deadly viral disease threatens Uganda’s wheat

21 | AGRICULTURAL FINANCING

Farmers can increase their chances of access to loans 22 | TECHNOLOGY:

You can do farming without rain

25 | INTERVIEW

Value addition will give you better earnings 27 | AQUACULTURE

Kajjansi breeding centre takes fish farming to another level

Farm Guide INSIDE: Uganda’s honey finds its way into European market

Rwanda sees gold in fish rearing Fish Feeding: Good tip for fish farmers

Start-up guide to

BEE-KEEPING

January - February 2013

11

38 | AGRO -FORESTRY

Tree growing is a worthy investment We must learn ethics for sustainable farming 27 | COMMENT

Uganda gifted by nature, undeveloped by man

roofings@roofings.co.ug • www.roofingsgroup.com

Razor Wire

Roofings Limited introduced a new product; non-electrified razor wire for security and safety purposes. Roofings is the sole manufacturer of this product in Uganda, made of the highest quality galvanized wire.

The Ultra Barb Profile is: Sharper Difficult to cut Rigid

Barbed Wire

High quality barbed wire is manufactured using galvanized wire sourced from Roofings Rolling Mills (Namanve) which is part of Roofings Group Strength and dimensions conform to JIS 3533:1993

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Chain Link

Galvanized Chain link is available in: Heights from 4ft up to 10ft and in Gauge 10, 12, 12.5, 13 with a standard length of 18meters.

Roofings Limited has plastic coated chain link of premium quality, rust/corrosion free. Apart from the standard sizes, chain link can be manufactured to customer specific heights.

Call. (+256) 0312 - 340100/207/210

Market Street Super Store Plot 3 • Market Street • Nakasero P.O. Box 7169 • Kampala (U) Tel. (+256) 0414 - 232274 Fax (+256) 0414 - 232278 Channel Lane Super Store Plot 2 • Channel Lane • 5th Street Industrial Area P.O. Box 7169 • Kampala (U) Tel. (+256) 0414 - 251146 Fax (+256) 0414 - 251147

reSeArcH

INterVIeW

Value addition will give you better earnings

Editorial

I

4

January - February 2013

AquAculture

Rwanda sees gold in fish rearing

Issue 04, January - February 2013

Reduce crop losses with proper postharvest handling t’s harvest time and farmers must prepare themselves adequately to avoid or minimise post-harvest losses.

Farmers in Uganda and Africa generally face diverse challenges in their efforts to increase earnings and food security. Besides poor agricultural practices, technology, poor seeds and livestock breeds and inadequate capital, another impediment farmers suffer today is post-harvest losses.

Various researches have shown that farmers especially in sub-Saharan Africa are robbed of up to a half of their agricultural produce in post-harvest losses.

These losses can occur during harvesting, storage and transit to the market.

Post-harvest loss includes deterioration in both quantity and quality of the crop, which inevitably translates into decline in earnings or the market value.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation says farmers in Africa lose up to 50% of their cereal and grain harvests in postharvest losses.

It’s therefore critical for farmers and other entrepreneurs in the agricultural production and value chain to understand the causes of post-harvest losses and the mitigating measures to reduce or even eliminate them.

Post-harvest losses are common in cereal and grain crops which are usually stored for longer periods before getting to the market.

To minimize these losses farmers need to use modern technology and agronomic practices right from the garden up to the consumer in the market.

For example a farmer must ensure that during harvesting the crop is not affected by moisture or insect and pest attacks.

The harvested crop must be sufficiently

Deadly viral disease threatens Uganda’s wheat

dried to acceptable levels of moisture content and the surface on which the crop is laid to dry should be appropriate and clean. If not properly dried, the crop retains high moisture content. Moisture attracts bacteria and causes deterioration of the crop. Proper drying is one of the critical considerations in maintaining quality of the crop and reducing post-harvest losses.

The operations and conditions in which harvesting is done can inflict physical and biochemical damage that may affect the grain at later stages in the post-harvest process. Poor threshing can cause losses from broken grains and encourage the development of insects.

You can also use chemical spray to preserve your crops during storage. But it is important to seek advice from professionals on the right chemicals to use. Some pesticides and fumigants are harmful to human health.

However there are also non-chemical practices to preserve your crops. A good storage facility that does not allow moisture absorption and pest and rodent infiltration will help you reduce post-harvest losses without using chemicals.

Crop losses do not occur only during harvest or storage. They can also happen during transportation to the market. Poor transport conditions and defective packaging of grain can cause big crop losses.

There are modern technologies which can help reduce or prevent crop deterioration during transit to the market. It is time our entrepreneurs in the agricultural value chain adopted modern technologies and agronomic practices to ensure crop quality and reduce losses at every level of the production process.

Price ush 5000, Ksh 200, rwF 1500, SDP 8

INSIDE: Uganda’s honey finds its way into European market

9 770230 601681

Inside: Start-up guide to bee-keeping

Start-up guide to

BEE-KEEPING

January - February 2013

11

Team Managing Director Godrick Dambyo Managing Editor Patrick Matsiko wa Mucoori Marketing Manager Jesse Hamala COO (Rw) Kelvin Odoobo CCO (Rw) James Hyabene Design & Layout Peter Mugeni Photographer E.A Agribusiness/Agencies

Publisher

EAST AFRICA AGRIBUSINESS MAGAZINE ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: East Africa Agribusiness Magazine Ltd P. O. Box 33752, Kampala-Uganda Tel: +256 414 223 471 /+256 200 902 012 Fax: +256 414 223 475 Email: info@ea-agribusiness.co.ug Website:www.ea-agribusiness.co.ug Rwanda: Agri Publications Ltd P. O. Box 2227, Kigali, Rwanda Tel: +250 788 306 052 Email: rwanda@ea-agribusiness.co.ug Website: www.ea-agribusiness.co.ug

Opinions expressed herein represent views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect views of East Africa Agribusiness. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from East Africa Agribusiness

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Events

Robert Shemin Conference (UGANDA) Date: 19th -20th February 2013

Venue: Serena Hotel Kampala

Shemin is a United States self-made millionaire, a senior financial guru, real estate investor, CNN and FOX news wealth adviser and author of the international bestseller: “How Come That Idiot’s rich and I’m Not?”

Njoro Farmers Day (KENYA) Date: 8th-9th February 2013

Venue: industrial Area/Sawmill

All farmers are welcome to this Event. It will be free for farmers. Lots of gifts to be given. Don’t miss out.

With over 1000 farmers, farm groups/association and students attending this exiting day, it’s likely your best customers are going to be there. It is the ideal opportunity to keep in touch with them, introduce them to the team, and demonstrate new products or services

MDF training course: Organisational development and change ((TANZANIA) Date: 19th -20th February 2013

Venue: Karama Lodge, Arusha

Opportunities may be ample; people motivated; facilities in place; strategy papers may be well formulated; and budgets assured… Yet, an organization may perform below its actual capacity.

What does it take to improve? What steps can be taken?

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Value addition will give you better earnings

Deadly viral disease threatens Uganda’s wheat

AquAculture

Rwanda sees gold in fish rearing

Issue 04, January -

February 2013

Price ush 5000, Ksh

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Deadly vira disease threl Uganda’s atens wheat Issue 04, January 200, rwF 1500, SDP

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Start-up guide to

BEE-KEEPING

January - February 2013

INSIDE: Uganda’s

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news round-up

Uganda

Value Chain Model will help E. Africa solve its food shortage

By Prossy N. Lyaka

A

griculture is one of the sectors overlooked by many economists yet it’s a huge driver of economic growth.

For East Africa which has suffered high inflation rates, increased demand for food due to rapid population growth, there is need for the EAC countries to increase investment in agriculture.

According to Mark Bohlund, a senior economist with Sub-Saharan Africa Team, IHS Global Insight, increasing investment in agriculture through the value chain approach is the perfect solution to increase food production.

Bohlund told the East African Value Chain Investment Summit at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala, in December 2012 that the value chain model will attract more investors at every stage in the agriculture value cycle which will see quality produce with higher market value.

The Summit was aimed at raising awareness on the role of value chains in agriculture and rural development and also to identify business development, investment and capital mobilization and strategic collaboration opportunities in the

Gerald Makau Masila

Great Lakes region.

Edward Katende, the Managing Director of Focus on East Africa, the NGO that organised the conference, urged investors to invest in agriculture through the value chain model.

“We thought that the value chain model based on competences should be the focus because it appeals to individual investors competent in one stage of production,” said Katende.

Gerald Makau Masila, the CEO of the East African Grain Council, said: “It’s a sector that has been suffering many challenges yet it is not very attractive to the private sector because it’s prone to risks

which frustrate investors.”

He said that for the value chain approach to be successful, the government must implement resolutions of the Maputo Declaration that were agreed upon by member countries.

Under the 2003 Maputo Declaration, African countries agreed to commit at least 10% of their national budgets to agriculture and rural development policy implementation within five years.

According to Masila, most of the African countries that made that commitment have reneged on their pledge, thus affecting food production.

The Summit raised concern that 30% of Africa’s population is chronically and severely undernourished and the continent has become a net importer of food. Another concern pointed out was that Africa is currently the largest recipient of food aid in the world.

Africa has been urged to utilize its full potential to increase its food and agricultural production to guarantee sustainable food security and ensure economic prosperity for its peoples.

TANZANIA

Coffee prices go up

T

he first Moshi Coffee Exchange auction of 2013 resulted in an average price of US$142.04 per 50kg unit (Mild Arabica, all grades). The average price at the previous auction in December 2012 was US$135.77 resulting in a 4.6% increase. The Coffee Exchange is held weekly by the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB), the government organ established in 2001 to regulate the coffee industry.

Moshi city in the Kilimanjaro region in the north of the country is best suited for crops to grow such as coffee and tea because of its specific altitude and dry climate.

Coffee is Tanzania’s largest export crop

6

January - February 2013

accounting for 20% of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

Tanzania coffee production averages between 30-40,000 metric tonnes each year of which about 70% is Arabica and 30% Robusta. In addition to Kilimanjaro, the leading coffee producing region, Morogoro is also increasing coffee production. The region is believed to have potential to exceed the combined production of Kilimanjaro and Arusha.

During the 2011-2012 season about half of 146

villages in Morogoro District were producing coffee, with 3,000 hectares cultivated and some 155 tonnes harvested.

(Source: TanzaniaInvest)

news round-up

RWANDA

Rwanda embarks on mechanised farming

A

tractor assembling plant has been set up in Rwanda to promote mechanized agriculture.

WayInvest Rwanda imports spare parts from Czech Republic and uses them to make Moldboard ploughing machines, harrowing tractors, planters and seeders and harvesters. The factory managers told Dr Pierre Damien Habumuremyi when he visited the plant in Giporoso, Gasabo District last October that they also organize training tours across the country in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Habumuremyi asked owners of the factory to increase production in order to

enable Rwandan farmers get tractors at an affordable price.

He also urged them to introduce some modern methods such as sales, hiring, hire purchase, leasing and others that will increase use of tractors in Rwanda.

The Minister of Agriculture Dr. Agnes Kalibata said this is in line with Rwanda’s efforts to promote mechanized agriculture.

The plant will be producing hand operated tractors that can be easily

TANZANIA

KENYA

Commodity Exchange Market coming soon

T

he Capital Markets Authority has hired a consultant to guide the formation of a futures exchange market in Kenya. CMA acting chief executive Paul Muthaura said the Pakistan national, with vast experience in futures trading, has already started the work.

The consultant has a one-year period to have developed all the necessary requirements for the establishment of a futures market. “This is a very significant step for us,” said Muthaura on the sidelines of a financial literacy forum in Nairobi.

A futures market allows investors to buy and sell commodities contracts for delivery in the future, which could help limit wide swings in prices caused by oversupply or shortages.

It is hoped that the first futures market will be up and running when the consultant finishes the assignment by December.

The consultant is expected to, among others, advise on all the regulatory and licensing as well as operational requirements for a futures market.

Muthaura said the authority has decided to shelf plans to first invite international firms to set up and operate a futures exchange for trading in currency, mineral and energy. Instead, the consultant has been brought in to fast identify the key challenges anticipated as well as the opportunities presented by the same market.

A futures market is expected to stabilise

used in hilly areas.

Source: Chimpreports.com

Private investment in agriculture to increase

T

Paul Muthaura

food prices, especially grains, which mostly fluctuate during harvest and low seasons.

Producers of maize, beans, coffee, tea, and other agricultural commodities normally sell their produce at low prices to middlemen during the harvesting season to cut on losses.

Price volatility reduces crop yields by discouraging farmers from planting for fear of making losses. The consultant will be expected to draft trading and oversight rules for the futures market and advise on international best practices.

The consultant will also set rules to identify and procure a firm that will establish a demutualised futures exchange. The futures exchange is expected to bring transparency in the market since it will provide a central place for buyers and sellers, helping improve price discovery.

(Source: Overseas Indian Facilitation Centre)

he Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT), the umbrella organization that groups together agriculture private sector stakeholders, plans to increase private investment opportunities in the country. While officiating at ACT latest annual meeting in Dar Es Salaam, Chairman Salum Shamte, announced their intention for 2013 to increase efforts to ensure rapid development in agriculture by touting private capital involvement. The Council’s vision is to remove the most stumbling blocks in Tanzania’s agriculture such as high land rent and taxes.

The sector contributes 23.5% to Tanzania’s GDP, more than 40% of foreign currency earnings and over 90% of the country’s food needs.

The Minister of Agriculture, Eng. Christopher Chiza reiterated the government will see more private investment in the sector, especially under the Southern Agriculture Growth Corridor of Tanzania. The funding to agriculture in the 2012-13 national budget saw an annual increase of 19% with TSh 1,103.6 billion (US$688m) compared to 927.0 billion (US$ 578m) the previous year.

(Source: TanzaniaInvest) January - February 2013

7

Lead Story

How to preserve your crop after harvest

Farmers in Africa lose up to 50% of their crop value due to poor post-harvest management

By Lydia Ainomugisha

O

ne of the challenges facing farmers today in many developing countries especially in Sub-Saharan Africa is Post Harvest Losses which take place during harvesting, storage and transit to the market.

The phrase “post-harvest losses� refers to quantitative and qualitative losses of a crop due to poor quality management. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO),

8

January - February 2013

farmers in Africa lose up to 50% of their cereal and grain harvests in postharvest losses.

These losses can take place at any of the various phases of the postharvest process. Post-harvest losses include product deterioration and the monetary loss suffered due to the low quality or weight of the crop. Grains can be damaged by insects or biodeterioration, which makes them unfit for human consumption and therefore reduced market value.

In the economic perspective, the sum

of the losses in quantity and quality of the crops inevitably means losses of money to the farmer or entrepreneur. The losses can occur at any stage between the farm/ garden and the market.

From harvest onward, the grain undergoes a series of operations during which quantitative and qualitative losses can occur. The operations and conditions in which they occur also create physical and biochemical damage that can change the grain at later stages in the post-harvest system.

Lead Story A late harvest, for example, can bring about losses from attacks by birds and other pests. Insufficient drying of grain can cause losses from the development of moulds and insects.

Poor threshing can cause losses from broken grains and encourage the development of insects. Poor storage conditions can bring about losses caused by the combined action of moulds, insects, rodents and other pests.

Transport conditions or defective packaging of grain can also lead to quantitative losses of product.

Loss in weight There is loss in weight and loss of product. The decrease of the moisture content reduces weight, but it is not a loss of food. But an increase in weight due to absorption of moisture after rains on a stock in open air can cause severe damage and thus considerable losses.

Weight losses are due mainly to the prolonged action of pests (insects, birds, rodents), or leakage of products (perforated bags, spillage during grain handling, etc.). They can occur at practically any stage of production, but especially during the harvest, storage, and transport or handling during transit to the market.

Loss in quality Quality varies and includes shape,

Nature and key causes of post-harvest losses Nature

Direct causes

Indirect causes

Premature harvest

Inadequate:

Poor maturation

- capital

Poor threshing

- professionalism

In weight

Insufficient drying

- equipment

Insufficient cleaning

- pesticides

Bird attack

- packaging

In quality

Rodent attack

- transport

Insect attack

- organization

Micro-organism attack

Constraints:

Biochemical change

-social

Economic

Leakage and waste

-economic

Moisture content wrong

-political

for storage

Inadequate storage and

transport techniques

(Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation)

size as well as smell and taste. A clean product is of primary importance in marketing. By taking a handful of grain from a bag, for example, a trader can quickly see if it gives off a floury dust and can therefore know whether or not it comes from an infestation by insects. Similarly a bad smell can lead the trader to suspect rodent attacks which can be confirmed by the presence of rat or mouse excrement or hairs. Losses in quality decrease the market value of the product.

A canvas for drying grain. It is spread on ground and can be rolled over in case of rain. Available at Askar General Merchandise on Entebbe Road.

In various countries, quality ratings are based on the general principal according to which grain must be “wholesome, sound, of market quality and odourless”.

Main criteria for determining the quality of a given grain include: ■■ moisture content: suitable for the storage or further handling of the product; ■■ colour: homogeneous and appropriate to the type of product under consideration;

An air-tight bag for safe storage of grain and cereal crops.

January - February 2013

9

Lead Story ■■ odour: it must not hint that any biochemical change is going on; ■■ cleanness: the number of impurities must conform to established standards of quality; ■■ infestation: the absence of insects or other living organisms must be ascertained.

Losses in quality are mainly the result of mechanical constraints undergone by the product, the action of pests (insects, rodents) and microorganisms (moulds), or the chemical changes produced within the grains under the effect of environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, duration of storage).

Investing in post-harvest technologies can significantly reduce food losses and increase food availability in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the FAO/World Bank report: Missing Food: The Case of Postharvest Grain Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa, released in May 2011. The report estimates the value of post-harvest grain losses in sub-Saharan Africa at about $4 billion

( about Shs10 trillion) a year.

“This lost food could meet the minimum annual food requirements of at least 48 million people,” the report quotes FAO Assistant Director-General Maria Helena Semedo as saying. “If we agree that sustainable agricultural systems need to be developed to feed 9 billion people by 2050, addressing waste across the entire food chain must be a critical pillar of future national food strategies.”

According to estimates provided by the African Postharvest Losses Information System, physical grain losses prior to processing can range from 10 to 20 percent. In Eastern and Southern Africa alone, food losses are valued at $1.6 billion per year or about 13.5 percent of the total value of grain production.

The recent food and financial crises have heightened the focus on postharvest losses.

“Africa cannot afford to lose 20 percent of its grain production,” the report quotes Jamal Saghir, Director of the

Askar General Merchandise is an exclusive representative of GrainPro Inc. in Uganda.

Recognized dealers in agri-business, post-harvest storage and transportation technologies for food grains, seeds and other dry commodities. We provide safe post-harvest storage and transportation solutions for farmers, processors and exporters in the grain/cereal value chain.

Collapsible Dryer Case: Is spread on ground for Transafe liners: Fitted sun-drying crops and can be quickly rolled over to inside truck to preserve grain in transit cover the crop in case of rain as shown above.

Super Grainbags

Serve as a store/ granary and preserves crop up to 10 years

GrainSafes

Sealed cocoon with a grain-shade A cocoon before sealing Plot 242, off Entebbe Rd (Lweza) | P.O Box 7545 Kampala– Uganda Tel. +256 783 909 898, +256 782 230 440, + 256 772 415 138 Email: info@askarmerchandise.com | website: www.askarmerchandise.com / www.grainpro.com

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January - February 2013

Sustainable Development Department, World Bank Africa Region (2011).

“Reducing food losses is increasingly recognized as part of an integrated approach to realizing agriculture’s full potential, along with making effective use of today’s crops, improving productivity on existing farmland, and sustainably bringing additional acreage into production.”

Technologies to reduce post-harvest losses A range of practices and technologies have been adopted to reduce post-harvest losses including crop protectants and storage containers such as hermetically sealed bags and metallic silos.

There are various companies and businesses in Uganda dealing in such post-harvest technologies to reduce food losses and provide quality assurance for crop harvests. Farmers, processors and exporters who use these technologies will reduce their post-harvest losses occasioned by poor drying, storage and transportation.

One of the companies selling such technology and equipment is Askar General Merchandise along Entebbe Road, which supplies hermetically (airtight) sealed bags and cocoons.

Cocoons act as granaries or stores in which hermetically sealed bags of crops can be securely stacked and kept during storage or transportation to the market. They can preserve crops like coffee, cocoa, maize, sorghum, millet, wheat and other types of seeds against insects, pests and bio-deterioration for a long time after harvest without use of preservative chemicals like pesticides and fumigants.

Other methods of reducing quantitative and qualitative post-harvest losses include proper crop drying, clean threshing, moisture-free storage and transportation system. There is a variety of other technologies and practices that can help farmers and other entrepreneurs in the food value chain which will be explored in the coming editions of this publication.

INSIDE: Uganda’s honey finds its way into European market

Start-up guide to

BEE-KEEPING

January - February 2013

11

Farm Guide

Beekeeping

Simple to start, quick to bring big earnings

By Patrick Matsiko wa Mucoori

Honey harvesting is one of man’s oldest agricultural activities. Honey used to be collected from forests and bushes during the medieval era when man gathered food from the wilderness for his survival. Later, man started controlled beekeeping by attracting bees to his own-made apiary.

Today, beekeeping has become one of the popular types of farming as a source of nutritional and medicinal products and a variety of other products.

Starting beekeeping

U

nlike other types of farming, beekeeping does not have a lot of technical requirements like type of soil, landscape, soil fertility or large acreage of land.

According to Njunwoha Appollinary, Chairman of Organic Rukanju-morie Farms, beekeepers with over 100 beehives and processors of honey products for over 30 years in Bugamba-Rwampara, Mbarara district, half an acre of land, well demarked, can accommodate about 1000 beehives. He says topography of the land does not matter. Another advantage is that even when you don’t have your own land, you can do beekeeping on a rented plot.

the beehive and hang it high in a tree away in a forest or bushy area. After the bees have entered, transfer the beehive to the apiary or rearing area.

Fence the apiary to prevent human or animal intrusion which may disturb the bees and force them to abandon the beehives. Intrusion can also provoke the bees to attack human beings and livestock in the vicinity. Bees can be dangerous to humans and animals if disturbed in their habitat.

Key things you need to start an apiary (beekeeping farm) Njunwoha says that first, you need beehives. They can be of any type depending on your capital and preference.

There are various types of beehives and you can choose any depending on what suits you.

There are suppliers or dealers in various parts of the country where you can buy beehives.The cost of a beehive ranges from Shs20,000 to Shs150,000 depending on the type. After acquiring the beehive, get dry cow dung and mix it with dry honey combs. Burn them so that they produce smoke.

Turn the beehive upside down so that the main opening is inverted over the burning cow dung and honey combs. The smoke will circulate inside the beehive. The smoke is meant to give the beehive a scent that will attract bees. Keep the beehive inverted until the cow dung and honey combs burn out. You can cover the beehive with an iron sheet/polythene fabric to protect it from direct rain. Tie strong strings around

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January - February 2013

Mzee Njunwoha Appolinary attends to his family apiary in Bugamba, Rwampala in Mbarara district.

Farm Guide

Photos: Organic Rukanju-morie Farms

An apiary of Organic Rukanju Farms in Bugamba, Rwampala in Mbarara district. The Brush tree in the foreground and the hibiscus plants are good attractions to bees for nectar.

Plant bee foliage (plants which attract bees) around the apiary. Plants are a source of nectar which bees use to make honey.

Twesiime Orator, the Rukanju-Morie Farms CEO, says the brush tree is one of the plants bees like so much for nectar requirements. Others include: Hibiscus flower, avocado coffee, sunflower and others. So, having such trees and plants around the apiary is beneficial.

Bees need water. Provide a water source, but put some grass where bees will stand so that they don’t drown and die.

Harvesting time According to Twesiime, you can harvest honey twice a year. But it is better to harvest once in a year in order to allow enough time for the honey to mature. Njunwoha says over the years he has observed that the best time for harvesting is end of August (before the September-December rains).

In addition to getting large quantity, the honey is mature and thus better quality.

She further explains that during the dry season bees stock honey for food reserves during the rain season. Therefore in the weeks to the rain season, there is more honey in the beehives than during any other time of the year.

Advantages There are many advantages of beekeeping compared to other types of farming: ■■ No use for pesticides or fumigants ■■ No need for fertilizers ■■ No need for treatment ■■ No daily maintenance costs.

Twesiime Orator (right) explains to a customer the various products made from honey.

■■ Requires smaller acreage of land compared to other types of farming.

The advantages are more but these are a few examples.

Caution Don’t make chemical sprays in the vicinity (near the apiary). Chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides and insecticides affect bees and can force them to abandon the apiary.

Ensure the rearing area is securely fenced to prevent intrusion of humans, animals or any predator. Any disturbance can force the bees to migrate or provoke them to attack human and animal life in the neighbourhood. Bees attack can be fatal.

(In the next article, we shall look at quality assurance and value addition in the honey value chain).

January - February 2013

13

Photo: Aine’ve Investments Uganda

Farm Guide | Bee Keeping Uganda is one of the few countries allowed to export honey to the European Union market.

Source of food Ainebyona Clives, the Director of Aine’ve Investments Uganda, a beekeeping and honey processing company, says brood (larvae and pupae) have high nutritional value and are given to malnourished children to improve their nutritional status. Royal jerry and pollen are consumed for their high protein value.

Honey is delicious and nutritious. It can be consumed whole or mixed with other foods as a supplement.

Medicinal value A honey harvesting process at an apiary of Aine’ve Investments Uganda.

Uganda’s honey finds its way into European market

By Patrick Matsiko wa Mucoori

I

n the olden days, bee honey used to be collected from the wilderness. It was part of the variety of wild foods man depended on for his nutritional and medicinal needs. Later man started domesticating bees. They are the only wild insects to be widely domesticated by man at a commercial level to provide income and dietary/nutritional and medicinal needs. Today, beekeeping has become a lucrative type of farming that provides products for domestic consumption and the market.

Bees are social insects that live in colonies of 10,000 to 60,000 bees. A colony consists of a queen (fertile female), a few drones (males), and thousands of workers (sterile females). Bees pollinate flowering plants and crops. They also produce honey, beeswax and other products of very high economic value.

Beekeeping is very important for production of honey, beeswax, propolis, pollen (bee bread), royal jerry and bee

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venom for food, medicine and income. It is also important for pollination, a major way for facilitating crop production.

Importance of beekeeping Income generation Bee honey products are highly marketable locally and abroad in raw or processed form. Beekeeping/honey harvesting has become a high income farming activity for various stakeholders in the value addition chain. Beekeeping has been identified as one of the activities that should be promoted to improve household incomes for majority Ugandans because it requires more affordable in terms of capital investment than many other farming activities. Honey and its products have a huge market here and abroad.

Ugandan honey is on high demand on the international market because of its organic nature given that Uganda is among countries that use minimal industrial or artificial fertilizers.

Ainebyoona adds that bee products such as bee venom, honey and propolis are used for treatment of many health conditions given their antibiotic nature.

Some of the conditions or ailments treated with bee products include stomach upsets or ulcers, diarrhoea, vomiting, wounds, burns, cough, measles, false teeth, toothaches, and fungal or viral infections. It also boosts immunity of the human body.

Pollination Bees pollinate plants or crops thereby playing a vital role in food production and overall agricultural output.

Bees can also serve other purposes such as api-tourism and research, apitherapy and environmental conservation among others.

Advantages of rearing bees Ainebyona says beekeeping is an easy venture that can be done by even the poor and the youth who lack the critical production resources especially land and capital.

Bees do not need mass feeding, most of the required inputs and technologies are locally available and honey and beeswax can be produced in semi-arid areas that are unsuitable for other agricultural use. The farmer does not need big land to keep bees.

This type of farming can significantly reduce unemployment especially among the youth.

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Research

Deadly viral disease threatens Uganda’s wheat The UG99 is fast spreading to other countries and could reach rest of the world soon

By Lominda Afedraru

A

dangerous fungal disease called UG99 has given Ugandan and global wheat farmers sleepless nights. The disease was identified in Uganda in 1999.

Crop scientists from East Africa and the United States of America, the UK and Asia are currently in laboratories carrying out intensive research on developing UG99 resistant wheat varieties, using both conventional and biotechnology methods.

Dr William Wagoire, the Director of Research at Buginyanya Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Sironko in eastern Uganda, where the disease was first identified, says that by 1998, Stem Rust Virus had been destroying wheat crops in the growing areas in the country. In that year, Dr Wagoire collected samples of the virus and took it for testing. It was tested on a widely used

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gene called Sr 31 which scientists had been using to curb the Wheat Stem Rust disease.

However, the lab tests showed that this was a more dangerous strain of the Stem Rust Virus. His experiment demonstrated that his sample represented unique and dangerous pathogen patterns that could wipe out the crop globally.

He made a report of his findings in 1999 which was published in a Peer Review Journal where scientists named the new disease UG99.

Previously, Stem Rust was the most feared disease destroying the various wheat varieties globally. It could turn healthy wheat crops into a tangled mass of stems that could not produce any grains. But UG99 was more deadly. It destroyed the wheat crop completely with no hope of regeneration.

However, Dr Wagoire says his team has

been conducting research since last year by breeding varieties that are resistant to UG99. He says they have developed varieties that are resistant to the disease but cautions that more tests have to be conducted before coming up with conclusive final results.

He is optimistic though that in the next three years, his team will be able to release UG99 resistant wheat varieties.

“UG99 disease is spreading rapidly to all wheat growing countries in the world and the research we are conducting is a global concerted effort with the government obtaining a loan from World Bank under the East African Productivity Programme where scientists from East African countries are conducting the same research,” Dr Wagoire says.

The team coordinates with scientists from the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (Kari), International Atomic Agency (a crop breeding company in Vienna), the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CYMITT) in Mexico and Monsanto in the USA. They share breeding materials that contain genes resistant to the UG99.

“The disease has been known as wheat Stem Rust, but UG99 behaves differently. Once it infests a field, it corrodes the stalks, turning the shades brown and red— thus the disease name. Farmers can do little but harvest what’s left, sometimes losing 60 per cent of their crop,” Dr Wagoire says.

The virus has wiped out wheat farms in Uganda and has now spread to other countries including South Africa, Yemen, Iran, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Scientists fear that if it reaches North America, it will spread to Canada, one of

Research the world’s largest producers of wheat.

In fact, crop scientists fear that UG99 will wipe out more than 90% of the world’s wheat crops.

Incorporating the various genes into crops using conventional breeding techniques is a 9-12 year process which is underway. The process will have to be repeated for each of the thousands of wheat varieties in the world.

Wheat in Uganda is grown in the districts of Kapchorwa, Sironko, on the slopes of Mountain Elgon in Mbale, Kisoro, Kabale and on hilltops in Mbarara and Bushenyi.

According to Wagoire, at the laboratory level his research team has obtained from International Atomic Agency in Vienna advanced wheat varieties that are resistant to UG99. The breeding is done using radiation process involving local varieties in Uganda which are infected with the disease.

Apart from the local tests going on, in the UK scientists at John Centre, Norwich Research Park, are breeding two wild grass varieties called Sharon Goat grass and Aegilops Sharonensis which are categorized in the wheat family. Dr Brande Wulff, who is in charge of the project, says that since in UK the major agricultural crops grown by most farmers are wheat and Barley, there is fear UG99 may invade their fields. So the project to breed these grass species, which have similar genes resistant to the disease and the Yellow Stem Rust, is a precautionary strategy.

The team is working with scientists from Telaviv University in Lebanon who collect the wild grass species from coastal rifts in Israel and send it to the research centre such as CYMITT for further multiplication using the Biotechnology mechanism.

“Scientists at CYMITT have identified the resistant gene against UG99 and Yellow Stem Rust from grains we produce out of these grass. They are in the process of releasing it to various research institutes in Asia and Africa where the disease is destroying wheat crops for possible solution,” Dr Brande said.

Farmers in UK have been affected by the stem rust which is destroying their wheat and barley massively, but they are likely to face another danger of UG99.

Scientists believe UG99 is spread by

wind and human transportation systems which are likely to carry the disease to the rest of the world.

According to a 2011 report on the status of UG99 by Food and Agricultural Organization, in 2007 the disease was confirmed to have migrated from the East of Africa in wheat fields in Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.

The report indicated that wheat repre-

sents about 30% of the world’s production of grain crops and 598 million tonnes were harvested in 2011 from 220 million hectares of land.

Scientists estimate that if UG99 spreads to all wheat growing countries globally, the annual revenue loss will reach US$3 billion and the large population of rural farmers in Africa will be the most affected.

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Agricultural Technology

A Balton Uganda demonstration greenhouse during the Nile National Agricultural Trade Show in Jinja in July 2012.

Greenhouse Photo: East Africa Agribusiness

farming

ing. One is growing crops directly in the soil on open space where the plants are susceptible to soil-borne diseases.

The second type of greenhouse farming is growing crops in artificial enclosed systems such as cocopeat, vermiculite etc which are disease free and require controlled fertilizer application through irrigation.

The good news for farmers in Uganda is that the technology to start this type of farming is available in the country. One of the companies providing this is Balton Uganda Limited.

By Prossy Nandudu

Basic requirements to set up a greenhouse

Ideal mode of farming for small land holders

W

hile the population is ever growing, land size remains fixed. Thus there is increasing pressure on land especially for agricultural or food production. In Uganda, about 80% of the population depends on agriculture for both food and employment.

One of the ways to get around this challenge of increasing shortage of land is to embrace new technologies and modes of farming that require small space but produce high yields.

The Ministry of Agriculture and private

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stakeholders are promoting Greenhouse farming as one of the strategies to counter land shortage and increase food production.

A greenhouse is a structure in which crops are grown. These structures range from small sheds to industrial-size structures.

Greenhouse farming is the type of farming in which crops are grown in built structure with different types of covering materials such as glass or plastic roofing and walls.

There are two types of greenhouse farm-

The first step is to get funds to buy the necessary equipments required for constructing the greenhouse.

According to John Semakula, the Manager for Irrigation and Agro Technical Department at Balton Uganda, it is also important to consider weather.

Weather Farmers in countries that experience winter have to set up a covered greenhouse to provide the crops with necessary

Agricultural Technology warmth or heating. Farmers in warmer countries like Uganda need a shed.

Weather is important to consider because it provides the ideal environment for the crops to grow.

Location

agro-support, skills limitation and lack of appropriate technology.

In order to beat these risks, Semakula advises farmers to invest in appropriate production technologies and training in greenhouse farming in addition to other measures such as growing market targeted products.

A farmer must make sure that the greenhouse receives sufficient sunlight for healthy growth of the crops.

Advantages

Ventilation

The beauty with a greenhouse is that the structure can last at least 15 years. In

one acre of land, one can have close to 8 greenhouses especially those who would like to go into large scale commercial farming.

Greenhouse farming is clean because it doesn’t require using the ordinary hoe and touching the soil. A farmer is provided with protective gear.

Crops in a greenhouse are less contaminated with chemicals because the latter are mixed with water in the tank that is passed onto the plants using the drip

It’s one of the key components in a successful greenhouse. Without proper ventilation, the greenhouse and crops will be affected. Ventilation regulates temperature in the greenhouse and allows movement of air to prevent build-up of plant pathogens.

Ventilation also ensures supply of fresh air for photosynthesis, plant respiration and helps vital pollinators to access the greenhouse to pollinate the crops. Ventilation can be achieved by use of vents - often controlled automatically - and recirculation fans.

Be careful about the shades to cover the greenhouse. Glass-made shades or fibermade shades are the most recommended because they are durable and can easily stand against tough weather conditions.

These shades also retain moisture content and warmth in the greenhouse.

According to Semakula, another important factor to consider is availability of the source of water. Plants in a greenhouse depend entirely on irrigation to grow. Thus the farmer must be assured of the source of water for irrigation.

Also a greenhouse farmer must have a dedicated caretaker to make sure the crops are irrigated in time because the life of the plants there depends on water through irrigation.

Getting materials for greenhouse One of the suppliers of greenhouse farming materials in Uganda is Balton Uganda, an Israeli company which gets the materials from its home country.

Beating risks in greenhouse farming Like other types of farming or business, greenhouse farming is associated with some risks and challenges which include weather and market volatility, poor inputs like seeds, limited technical assistance and

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Agricultural Technology irrigation method. Drip irrigation allows water to drop only on the basement of the plant thus minimizing wastage of water and eliminating weeds.

A farmer doesn’t spend on pesticides because the greenhouse is protected to prevent contact with pests and disease.

It saves water because a farmer only requires 1000 litres to water a greenhouse of 500sqm per day. Green house farming can be used as a security to get a loan from a bank or financial institution.

How to get a Farmers Kit Balton Uganda has now partnered with Centenary Rural Development Bank to offer credit/loans to facilitate small scale farmers to access farm inputs to start greenhouse farming. The objective is to promote food production and solve food insecurity in Uganda.

Through this arrangement, farmers can get a package called “Farmer’s Kit” which is a complete set of tools comprising high quality farming inputs for growing crops both in the open field and indoors under greenhouse technology.

The package comprises a farmer’s greenhouse, drip irrigation system, a water tank, sprayer, seeds, nursery set, fertilizers and protective gear and agro-chemicals.

It also includes training and professional agronomic support for one season of eight months.

Under the partnership, Centenary Bank will give loans to farmers wishing to purchase the Farmer’s Kit. The loans will be accessed from any of the bank’s branches across the country through the new credit scheme.

Fabian Kasi, the Centenary Bank MD, said customers wishing to acquire the kit through the bank will need Shs9m to buy the irrigation equipment.

“The bank’s customers will be able to save up to Shs3m if they choose to acquire the Farmer’s Kit through the Centenary Bank Irrigation Credit Scheme besides accessing credit at the lowest market rates,” said Kasi.

Balton MD Shiff Zeev said the technology provides an opportunity for smallscale farmers with small capital to improve their food and income situation through increased food production.

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Fruits grown in a greenhouse.

Photos: Prossy Nandudu

Agricultural Financing

Farmers can increase their chances of access to loans

By Prossy Nandudu

I

n the last financial year, government earmarked another Shs30 billion as a revolving fund for farmers to borrow and invest for increased production.

This was an addition to the Shs60 billion revolving fund released earlier.

However some financial institutions and analysts are not happy with the way the money is being managed.

Although the government has set aside this money through commercial banks, farmers have failed to access the funds. Why? In an interview with Abdul Kyanike Nsibambi, the manager in charge of Agricultural

Lending in Centenary Rural Development Bank, he said farmers have failed to access the money because of the many conditions attached to it.

For example, Nsibambi said, a loan condition may be to lend to persons who are borrowing at least Shs50m or to commercial farmers.

He said that in Uganda there are few large scale commercial farmers who qualify for the loans. Most people engaged in agriculture are small holder farmers.

Kyanika says the loan conditions favour commercial farmers at the expense of small holder farmers.

“And if you channel these funds in traditional banks that don’t have a microfinance component, most likely they will demand what they demand from other big farmers or corporate clients, which a small holder farmer may not have,” Nsibambi said.

He adds that other financial institutions demand land titles, bank statements of two years, which most farmers don’t have.

“So when we say the funds have not been utilized, we should look at the terms and conditions, which bank is administering these funds, does it have the capacity to administer the funds, does it have products targeting the kind of farmers we are talking about?” Nsibambi added.

He also said there is need to return cooperative societies in order to enable farmers access

credit easily. It is easier for the loan institution to lend to a cooperative society than to an individual farmer.

He dismissed claims that banks don’t want to lend to agriculture. He said the only challenge is that most farmers cannot fulfill the stringent loan conditions by the banks.

But also banks consider agriculture lending as highly risky because of agriculture’s dependability on unpredictable weather patterns such as extended drought, heavy rains and climate change. Most farmers engage in small scale production which is a disincentive to lending and also lack a good credit history and assets to guarantee loan recovery.

Credit access is further complicated by the fact that many farmer groups have poor data management systems, record keeping and lack bank accounts.

In order to ensure agricultural financing reaches the grassroots farmers, Nsibambi says there must be banks which are interested in agriculture. He said for banks to access the government’s support fund for agriculture, they should have an inclination to finance agriculture, have the capacity to manage the fund and have the lending portfolio for agriculture.

Nsibambi says the money should be channeled through financial institutions that have friendly terms for the ordinary farmer especially in the rural areas. The lending institutions, he says, should have the technical capacity to assess the small scale farmer or any enterprise related to small scale farming and give appropriate advice on what loan amount they should take.

But also, through linkages with other service providers, farmers can do a lot of good for themselves by keeping records of all their harvests, open up savings accounts and undergo management training. These are some of the points banks use as a basis for lending.

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Agricultural Technology

You can do farming without rain

By Habib Taban & Charles Mulindwa

With climate change and unreliability of rainfall patterns, farmers are facing a huge challenge of sourcing water for their crops in arid and semi-arid areas and during dry seasons or drought. This long time challenge has become a setback to food production and food security especially in Sub-Saharan African where most farmers rely on rainfall for agriculture.

W

ater-stressed countries worldwide such as Egypt and Israel have adopted irrigation for centuries as an alternative to rain water for farming. However irrigation had never become as critical as it is today in the era of climate change, which has

Onions grown under the drip irrigation system.

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caused erratic weather patterns across the world. The world can no longer rely on rainfall alone to support sustainable farming and produce enough food for its fast growing population. People need food throughout the year yet rain is not there all year round. That’s how

irrigation comes in handy. To have sustainable food production to feed the growing number of mouths in the world, irrigation becomes an inevitable option. And with the new agricultural technologies and production practices, irrigation has become a more reliable

Agricultural Technology

Photos: Agromax Limited

Vegetables grown using drip irrigation at the Agromax plot along Gayaza Road in Kampala.

method for sustainable agriculture around the world today.

There are many types of irrigation that farmers can use depending on various factors including type of crops, terrain, cost, technology and convenience among others. One of them is Drip Irrigation. Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation or micro irrigation or localized irrigation, is an irrigation method that saves water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. It is done through

narrow tubes that deliver water directly to the base of the plant. This technology has been used in Israel and other countries for a long time. It is now in Uganda. There are several companies in Uganda providing this type of technology and farmers can approach them for the service. One of such companies is Agromax along Gayaza Road in Kampala. As mentioned earlier, there are many types of irrigation. But in this article we shall talk about Drip Irrigation and its advantages to the farmer.

It helps farmers to grow crops during the dry season when many people shy away from agriculture due to absence

of rain.

This technology was discovered by Israel. Being a desert country, Israel saw irrigation as the only hope for its agricultural production. Today, Israel is the leading source of effective irrigation systems across the world and exports food.

Drip irrigation does not just suit desert countries like Israel and Egypt, but also other countries like Uganda. One such example is the Family Drip Irrigation System.

This is a simple irrigation technology that is combined with gravity-powered low water pressure. In order to spread the technology, Israel is partnering with government agencies and NGOs in various countries to extend it to smallholder farmers at a reasonable cost.

This innovation is empowering farmers in dry sub- Saharan Africa to mitigate problems of water scarcity. In Uganda, there is growing belief that this is the way to go if food insecurity is to be tamed.

Drip Irrigation is a technology widely used in agriculture, landscape, greenhouses and nurseries to apply water directly where it is needed. Drip Irrigation minimizes the use of water, enables the injection of fertilizers through the drip irrigation system and leads to healthier plants that have less disease .

Under the Family Drip Irrigation system, Agromax provides a Drip Irrigation

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Agricultural Technology Family Kit to farmers to support household food security and incomes.

The Drip Irrigation Family Kit (DIFK) is a small-scale, low cost maintenance free drip irrigation unit (equipment) as a “do it your self ‘’ kit. The system allows farmers to grow crops all year round independent of rain patterns and thus increases food production and maximises profits.

The DIFK system covers a quarter acre (1000 square metres). It does not require electricity and lasts for about six years depending on proper handling. It allows proper and efficient application and consumption of water and fertilizer by the crops since they are delivered direct to the root zone of the plants.

With this system independent of rainfall patterns, a farmer determines when to produce crops for better market prices. Since it is used during the dry season, the farmer fetches higher prices because he may be the only one supplying the crop as others wait for the rains to plant. It is flexible and suitable to adapt to various water sources and crops, cost effective for farmers with small capital in any part of Uganda.

The DIFK system allows precise application of small amounts of water directly to the root zone and reduces losses from evaporation, weeds, runoff and percolation Drip irrigation is popularly viewed as one of the most water efficient types of irrigation. The kit t contains a storage tank filled from any local water source, filter, distribution pipelines and drip line laterals for irrigation of all kinds of crops as illustrated in the pictures.

It is simple to install and operate, suitable for different types of water quality and water sources, enlarges the irrigated land of small rural farms by allowing a bigger number of plants on an acreage than under the normal planting system.

It is a cost-effective irrigation with simple technology to increase family income and food supply and supports the community.

Small farmers considering the use of drip irrigation should weigh both the advantages and disadvantages of this system to determine the benefits of the system for their operation.

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Advantages of Drip Irrigation

T

he key advantages of Drip Irrigation include: Reduced water use because it brings the water to the plant root zone and does not wet the entire field. Drip irrigation typically requires half to a quarter of the volume of water required by comparable overheadirrigation systems;

Joint management of irrigation and fertilization Drip irrigation can improve the efficiency of both water and fertilizer. Precise application of nutrients is possible using the drip irrigation. Therefore, it reduces fertilizer costs and soluble nutrient losses.

Nutrient applications may also be better timed to meet plant needs.

Reduced pest problems Weed and disease problems may be reduced because drip irrigation does not wet the row middles or the foliage of the crops as does overhead irrigation systems.

Simplicity Its parts are widely available in several diameters and are easy to assemble.

Many customized, easy-to-install connectors, end caps, and couplers are available in different diameters. Cutting and gluing allows for timely repairs.

Adaptation Drip systems are adaptable to oddly shaped fields or those with uneven topography or soil texture, thereby eliminating the underutilized or non-cropped corners and maximizing use of available land.

Production advantages Combined with raised beds, polyethylene mulch, and transplants, drip irrigation enhances earliness and crop uniformity. Using polyethylene mulch also increases the cleanliness of harvested products and reduces the risk of contamination with soil-born pathogens. Reflective mulches further help reduce the incidence of viral diseases by affecting

Drip tubes take water to the root base of the plants in a greenhouse.

insect vectors, such as thrips, whiteflies or aphids.

Water source Common water sources for drip irrigation are surface water (pond, river, and creek), groundwater, and potable water (from municipality, county or utility company). Use the water source that will provide the largest amount of water of greatest quality and lowest cost. Potable water is of high, constant quality, but is very expensive.

The goal of drip irrigation is to bring water to the crop. The main parameters that determine crop water use are the type of crop planted and row spacing.

A drip irrigation system should be able to supply 110% - 120% of crop water needs. In other words, the system should be slightly oversized. Actual crop water use will be more or less than this amount, depending on weather and irrigation efficiency.

Maintenance and operation Maintenance is meant to preserve the high uniformity of water application allowed by the drip irrigation. The best maintenance of a drip-irrigation system is the Preventive approach. Keeping the drip tape (tube) unblocked is the best maintenance. It is easier to prevent a drip tape from clogging than to “unclog” it or replace it.

Habib Taban is an agronomist and Charles Mulindwa is an irrigation technician

Value Addition Give a brief overview of how you started the tea growing business?

McLeod Russel Uganda Limited (MRUL) is registered in Uganda and is now owned 100%Â by McLeod Russel India Limited (MRIL), via two intermediary companies: Borelli Holdings Limited registered in the UK and Rwenzori Tea Investments Limited registered in Uganda.

The business was initially owned by the Uganda Government since 1960s.

After the economic collapse during the Idi Amin regime in 1970s, the government started the revival of the tea industry late 1980s. But significant progress came in 1990s. The state owned corporation was called Agricultural Enterprises Limited, which was privatised in 1994 and taken over by two British companies: Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) and James Finlays Limited (Finlays). The Uganda Government retained a minority stake. A new company was registered in the names of Rwenzori Highlands Tea Company Limited (RHTC). Subsequent changes in shareholding left Finlays with 100% control in 2002.

The company name was then changed to James Finlays (Uganda) Limited in 2004. The MRIL took over from Finlays in 2010.

What advice would you give to other people who may be interested in tea growing? In other words, what are the basic things they need to know before they start tea farming?

Tea farming business requires patience, dedication and is perpetually rewarding.

Tea grows in specific soils (slightly acidic and deep and well drained) and specific climate. It requires good rains that are fairly distributed throughout the year and warm temperatures. It cannot be grown in semi-arid areas without irrigation. It is a labour-intensive enterprise and requires availability of land. You cannot, for example, grow tea with commercial success in a backyard in town.

Value addition will give you better earnings

The tea industry is one of the fast growing sectors in Uganda. Tea is a plantation crop mainly grown on large scale by the principal farmer whose output is supplemented by small-holder farmers. Matsiko wa Mucoori of East African Agribusiness magazine interviewed Matsiko Onesimus of McLeod Russel Uganda, a tea growing and export company based in Western Uganda, and below are the excerpts.

marketing system for processed bulk tea.

Most of Uganda’s tea is sold through the Mombasa Auction System. Individual producers go an extra mile improving the marketing, especially in branding and packaging.

Good weather is one of the main drivers of profitability despite serious industry challenges of labour shortage when bumper harvests occur.

Under favourable conditions, tea provides reasonable income to producers and employs masses of people.

What prompted you to move onto tea processing and exporting?

McLeod Russel Uganda Limited is part of the bigger company that has been in tea growing business for over 100 years. Tea growing and processing has, therefore been a culture and a way of life for Directors of MRUL.

What benefits did you find in tea growing in terms of earnings/income generation, job creation and economic advancement?

Unlike some other products, there is a well-established and somehow automated Matsiko Onesimus

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Value Addition

What advantages/benefits have accrued from this tea Value Addition undertaking?

Apart from the Mombasa Auction, the parent company manages the marketing function to support MRUL as a subsidiary, with broader objectives.

What makes you proud as an agricultural and agribusiness company in terms of your contribution to national and community development in Uganda?

MRUL employs about 6,000 people on all its estates. The company supports an employee’s family of one spouse and up to four biological children. MRUL caters for medical services for all employees and registered dependents. Each of the six tea estates has a clinic. Complicated cases are referred to bigger hospitals at the company’s cost.

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It is MRUL’s culture to make timely payments to employees and other debtors.

This income infiltrates to neighbouring communities and boosts urbanisation.

MRUL’s revenue from tea exports contribute a lot to the much needed foreign exchange earnings for the country. Tea estates are naturally located in rural areas and employees live their own lifestyles.

Workers have social halls (installed with DSTVs) for entertainment and management clubs are available. MRUL has added leisure to employees’ lifestyles by sponsoring inter-estate football tournaments plus Music Dance and Drama competitions.

MRUL supports Government Primary Schools constructed on tea estates land and estates neighbourhood.

In your experience as a tea grower, processor and exporter, what do you see as factors/threats affecting the

industry in Uganda?

Uganda has big potential for increased tea production because of available arable land with good weather. However, the challenges are associated with increasing weather unpredictability. Seasons are changing beyond what farmers are familiar with and this poses managerial challenges. Infrastructure is another challenge.

Tea factories receive less than the required electricity. Sometimes power is not available at all and in other situations, the voltage is too low to run the machinery. Even with the improved national power generation, the poor distribution facilities leave upcountry businesses in the same situation of serious shortage of electricity.

Poor roads for collection of green leaf from smallholder farmers increase the cost of production. In some cases, even dispatch of the finished product is a challenge.

Aquaculture

Kajjansi breeding centre takes fish farming to another level

Photo: Lominda Afedraru

By Lominda Afedraru

T

he supply base of quality fish seeds in Uganda has widened following the introduction of professional fish breeding by scientists in the aquaculture ponds at the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute in Kajjansi, off Entebbe Airport highway.

The institute has partnered with a Chinese investor to breed Ugandan indigenous fish species such as Nile Tilapia, African Catfish and Common Cap, a species that was imported from Asian waters.

The scientists at the institute are still researching on other fish species such as Kisinja and Nile Perch and the Chinese species Gras Cap, Silver Cap and Big Head Cap. They are studying their feeding and growth mechanisms before breeding them for mass production or multiplication by farmers.

To ensure supply of quality fish seeds to farmers, the species undergo laboratory tests before being released to the ponds for the breeding process.

Once in the pond/rearing system, the species are given the right type of feed which comprises mixture of sunflower cake, cotton seed cake and soy bean to meet their various nutritional requirements.

According to Godfrey Kityo, a research technician at the institute, apart from breeding the different fish species and supplying them to farmers, his team sensitizes the latter on proper management of their fish ponds.

Farmers are trained on how to construct the fish ponds, breed the different fish species, market them on the local and international markets as well as produce the feeds.

They are advised to establish their fish ponds where there is a nearby source of water. The pond must contain clay type of soil which absorbs and accommodates food nutrients for fish.

Farmers are also advised to use fertil-

A breeder at the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute in Kajjansi. The institute is breeding and multiplying fish species for farmers.

izers such as cow dung in order to produce the required nutrients in the water for the fish to grow well. “Apart from supplying farmers with fish seeds, we also manufacture the different types of feeds both in powder and crystal form which we supply to the farmers. We sell one kg of the feed at Shs2,500,� Kityo said.

He said fish farmers from the different parts of the country come to the institute to purchase fish seeds and fingerlings. A kilo of fingerings costs Shs200.

The breeding process of the Nile Tilapia and African Cat Fish takes place naturally in the Ugandan waters, unlike that of the Common Cap fish. The scientists have to induce some hormone in the fish species to activate its feeding characteristics.

During the breeding process the team carries out a mini operation where they cut both the male and female species to obtain their eggs and mix them to cause fertilization. They are nursed in the hatchery for one week before they are taken to the pond.

The Common Cap fish species is therefore bred for aqua fishing but not to be grown in the natural water habitats here because they cannot produce or multiply naturally.

The head of the aqua culture research, Dr Dismas Mbabazi, said the institute is mandated to breed and supply disease free fish seedlings to farmers. A team of scientists tests the species for bacterial diseases which cause rotting in the gills and in the intestinal tracks. This is usually caused by the quality of water. Thus the institute analyses the water content to ensure it is disease-free and farmers are advised to avoid using contaminated water in the ponds.

Aqua farming, according to Dr Mbabazi, contributes 90,000 metric tonnes of fish production in Uganda per year.

Apart from the fish farming in ponds, a number of farmers are also engaged in cage farming which is done in the natural water bodies by confining the breeding process of fish species in a restricted or enclosed cage.

January - February 2013

27

Aquaculture

Rwanda sees gold in fish rearing

By Kelvin Odoobo

F

ish is popular in many parts of the world because it is one of the cheapest and direct sources of protein and micro nutrient. The consumption and demand for fish as a cheap source of protein is on the increase in Rwanda. But, in a worrying trend, Rwanda imports over 10,000 tonnes of fish from neighbouring countries to meet an annual consumption of 25,000 tonnes which is growing everyday as the benefits of eating fish become more apparent.

Due to an under-developed fish market, tilapia fish, the most tasty and poplar fish variety in the world consumed in local restaurants and hotels, is often imported from Uganda. This means that by the time it arrives onto your plate, a significant part of its original taste has been lost due to a long period of freezing during transit.

Not anymore.

Dr. Wilson Rutaganira, the Project Coordinator of Inland Lakes Integrated Development and Management Support Project (whose French acronym is PAIGELAC), says there exists a huge potential of fish farming in Rwanda that both local and foreign investors can take advantage of to generate incomes and supply the highly demanded fresh tilapia.

“Rwanda’s lakes are naturally not very productive yet they have good temperatures favourable for fish farming all year round which is a distinctive advantage from the world’s largest fish farming country, China, which cannot grow fish during winter,” says Dr Rutaganira.

He adds that with temperatures of about 250C, tilapia can be grown in lakes Kivu, Burera and Ruhondo which are deep enough to accommodate fish cages.

PAIGELAC is a Ministry of Agriculture

28

January - February 2013

and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) project supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB). It is charged with strengthening food security and aims at improving incomes of the actors in the fishery sub-sector.

Floating Cages Traditionally, tilapia fish imported to Rwanda is harvested from Ugandan fresh water lakes like Victoria and Kyoga where it grows naturally. But due to increasing demand, tilapia can now be grown under a floating cage system. Fish cages are placed in lakes to contain and protect fish until they are mature for harvesting.

Fish are stocked in cages, artificially fed and harvested when they reach acceptable market size. This system of fish rearing produces high yields despite small volumes of water and is easy to maintain because it requires much less attention than farm livestock. Also fish rearing is less susceptible to diseases and pests like crops and animals are.

Fish farmers require cages, nets, feeds and other inputs which, according to Dr. Rutaganira, are another investment opportunity.

“We currently provide fingerlings, which are the young fish or seeds of fish farming to farmers as well as the first batch of fish feeds as part of our mandate. We have also set up various infrastructures like ice making machines in Rwamagana, Musanze and Nyanza to facilitate easy transportation of fish to markets as well as a cold room located at the Kigali Economic Zone to assist in fish exports,” he said.

PAIGELAC also provides extension services for fish farmers across the country.

Tilapia The world has reared Tilapia fish for

Rwanda has embarked on fish breeding and farming to meet its growing local demand for fresh fish.

thousands of years. Tilapia has a sweet, mild flavour and a firm, flaky texture. It is one of aquaculture’s most adaptive species.

Found in tropical and sub-tropical waters worldwide, they can be grown in fresh or brackish water and thrive in ponds, tanks and cage systems. Commercially grown tilapias are almost exclusively male. Being prolific breeders, female tilapia in the ponds/tanks will result in large populations of small fish.

Tilapia fish can grow up to 1kg in size but the most common size of fish especially for export is between 300g to 500g.

In a fish cage, it takes 6 months to achieve this ideal size that is ready for the market.

With an investment of under one million Rwandan Francs (about US$1630), one can get revenues of up to 1,600, 000 Francs (about US$ 2,620) in an eight cu-

Aquaculture construction of up to 200 ha of ponds and has piloted the establishment of over 600 cages in the aforementioned lakes. Dr Rutaganira says PAGELAC has also supplied fingerlings for stocking all the ponds and cages to famers all over the country.

The project has also supplied 160 tonnes of fish feeds to stimulate demand. With a market demand of about 1,300 tonnes per year, Dr Rutaganira laments that the lack of local suppliers of fish feeds means the project has to procure from Uganda to meet the growing demand.

He urged investors in Rwanda to consider starting production of fish feeds and other inputs to generate income and render the critical support for the country’s young fish farming industry.

“Many more farmers are investing in fish ponds and all these need fish farming inputs,” he said.

Other benefits

bic meter (8m3) measuring 2m by 2m by 2m. This implies with availability of inputs one can break even within six months of starting the fish farming business in cages.

Currently the retail price for tilapia fish is about Rwf 2,000 among retailers/vendors and Rwf 4,500 in supermarkets around Kigali.

Fish farming allows large supplies of fish to be produced according to demand.

Catching fish from lakes and rivers may not yield enough products to meet consumer demand and simultaneously preserve the natural ecosystem. Also, to avoid direct competition for wetlands which in Rwanda are popularly used for growing vegetables and other crops, floating cages take away the resultant pressure on land by taking fish farming to the often unused water bodies. Since more than one billion people rely on fish as their primary source of protein, most of them living in developing countries, fish farming is often an attractive economic activity for them for both food and employment.

In fact, global fish exportation now earns more money per year than any other food commodity, meaning there are more jobs created.

Lack of inputs

Ready for investment

Most farmers in Africa still rely heavily on imported feed ingredients and fish feeds from European countries, which makes fish farming expensive as fish feeds account for at least 60% of the total cost of production.

Aquaculture growth can reach its maximum potential in the production of fish through utilization of locally available fish feed ingredients.

Recently, PAIGELAC has supported the

PAIGELAC/MINAGRI works together with Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and other government institutions to ensure that new investors are facilitated to get plots in the identified lakes where they can conduct fish farming. Interested local investors can contact PAIGELAC for more details about starting up while foreign investors can contact the Agribusiness Department of Rwanda Development Board.

Floating cages for fish farming on one of the local lakes in Rwanda.

NEWS Rwandan hotels urged to make local fish a priority

R

wanda hotels and restaurants have been urged to consider purchasing tilapia fish from Rwandan fish farmers if they want to serve their customers fresh tilapia, which is free from the freezing effects during transportation from neighbouring countries.

Dr. Wilson Rutaganira, the Project Coordinator of Inland Lakes Integrated Development and Management Support Project (PAIGELAC), told the East Africa Agribusiness magazine that the fast growing culture of eating fresh fish in Rwanda is being hampered by imports. He said by the time the fish imports reach the consumer’s plate, they have lost their original and distinct taste because of long periods under freezing conditions during transit.

PAIGELAC is a Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources project that promotes fish farming.

Dr Rutaganira said it’s time the Rwanda fish market began looking closely at the local fish farmers and farmer cooperatives for their supplies.

He cites, Bethanie Hotel and Moriah Hill Resort in Karongi who have gained an increased share of fish sales by serving fresh fish supplied by BARAKA and COPARU cooperative fish farmers in Karongi.

Winnie Mbabazi, a restaurant operator in Remera-Giporoso, a Kigali suburb, was quoted in the local media saying that most of her customers love deep fried fresh tilapia while others like the boiled stuff accompanied with their favourite local dishes of matooke, rice and posho (maize flour food).

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health suggest that fish consumption lowers the risk of death from heart disease by 36 percent. This was related to the level of intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish.

For infants and young children, the authors found that omega-3 fatty acids from seafood likely improve early brain development. Children can obtain that benefit from pregnant or nursing mothers who consumed fish. Tilapia provides more heart-healthy nutrients than beef, chicken, pork or turkey.

January - February 2013

29

Aquaculture

Floating feed:

Good tip for fish farmers Floating fish feeds at the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute in Kajjansi. Photo: Lominda Afedraru

By Emmy Kewber & Godfrey Ddamba

A

re you a fish farmer or do you intend to become one? Feeding is one of the key components in fish rearing. There are both floating and non-floating fish feeds. It is also important to get your feeds from professional and recognized feed manufacturers such as Ugachick, manufacturers of fish and poultry feeds. In case a farmer wishes to buy floating fish feed, Ugachick Poultry Breeders is one of the available options.

They manufacture floating fish feed at their feed mill on Namulonge Road in Gayaza, Wakiso district. The feed is produced using an imported extrusion feed plant that is capable of producing three tonnes of feed per hour using precision process control methods.

The feed contains various proportions of crude protein and fat, calcium and energy.

The feed of 35% crude protein is meant to be given to fish that have just been introduced in the pond. This feed gives fish first growth at the initial stage and helps fish acclimatize in the rearing system. It is made with high protein content and high energy value, high concentrate of amino acids and a well- balanced amino acid profile required by fish. It has double vitamins and minerals to ensure feed utilization and fast response to the rearing system.

It is given to fish up to 8 weeks. The one with 30% crude protein is formulated to enable fish meet its high metabolic energy requirements and gain maximum weight. It is single stabilized with vitamins and minerals. The feed does not allow the fish to

30

January - February 2013

use body reserve and thus ensures steady growth.

The 25% crude protein feed is produced with improved palatability as the fish at this stage are more mature. Although the feed has high palatability, its satiety value is high thus enabling a farmer to give little feed in relation to fish body weight hence minimizing wastage.

Floating extruded feed is the contemporary feed for producing farmed fish. The greatest advantage with the feed is the efficient nutrient delivery system made possible to the fish. The user benefit is the ability to observe water stable feed on water by which one will be able to manage the feed better in order to derive maximum economic benefit, low feed conversion ratio( FCR) and considerable reduction in grow-out period.

The feed is much more safe because feed ingredients are sterilized during feed extrusion operation, thus reducing the effects of contaminated feed on the health of aquatic animals and water quality.

Why should a farmer use extruded floating fish feed?

Easy digestion: The extrusion which is a high temperature and short duration process cooks the materials, killing the germs/ pathogens and makes the feed easily digestible.

Good response: Aquatic animals respond well in digesting cooked starch. Fish cannot digest uncooked starch effectively resulting in excessive excrement which causes physiological problems such as excessive gas/ bloating, diarrhea thus affecting the growth

of fish and leading to water pollution.

Therefore, the use of extruded floating fish feed comes with a host of advantages in terms of digestion by fish, fish growth, low water pollution levels, optimized labour usage and zero wastage of raw materials since they are well mixed and fully utilized by the fish.

In the traditional method of fish farming, a mixture of maize bran, mukene, rice bran etc is used for feeding fish. This mixture normally settles down at the bottom of the culture facility (pond, tank, cage) thus causing water pollution. There is high wastage of raw materials which becomes costly once the feed is not fully utilized by fish.

These wasted materials would otherwise be used for other purposes. Since the raw materials are not treated well, the growth of fish is slow and with extremely high feed conversion ratio which is uneconomical. It is therefore advisable to use only floating fish feed produced by professional suppliers.

Floating feed is first cooked, and having the ability to float makes it have many advantages over other forms of feeds. It is user friendly and easily managed since farmers have the ability to observe the fish feeding, has low feed conversion ratio (FCR) due to the cooking it has been subjected to during preparation, zero pollution of the rearing system (pond) and minimal feed loss. All these advantages combined save a farmer’s money and increases his/ her output and profit.

With proper farming methods and materials, food security is an achievable mission.

INFRASTRUCTURe DEV'T

UNRA throws its weight behind EAC integration A sound road network will increase trade and ease movement of goods and services in the Great Lakes region and beyond As the East African Community countries work around the clock to realise full regional integration, the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has thrown its weight behind them. Dan Alinange, UNRA Head of Corporate Communications, told East Africa Agribusiness Magazine that they will strike a balance between construction and rehabilitation of local roads and those that boost regional integration and trade.

What major roads has UNRA concentrated on to boost business and trade across the East African region?

Most of our concentration has actually been on roads which boost regional integration and trade. Our first priority has been what we call

the Northern Corridor route from Mombasa through Busia/Malaba to Katuna on the border with Rwanda.

That is where we have concentrated with the support of the European Union. We are now rehabilitating the road from Malaba to Bugiri.

Three years ago we completed

reconstruction of the road from Bugiri to Jinja and we have started works on the road from Mukono to Jinja. Two years ago we completed construction of the Kampala Northern Bypass which is part of the Northern Corridor. With support from the European Union and the

January - February 2013

31

INFRASTRUCTURe DEV'T

A section of the Jinja-Bugiri Road.

European Investment Bank, we are now finalising plans for the second phase of the Kampala Northern Bypass to expand it. This will involve installation of flyovers to replace the roundabouts so that motorists are able to drive from Busega on Mityana Road to Jinja Road without unnecessary traffic delays. The entire road from Kampala to Katuna is under reconstruction. In 2012, we completed 50% of the Kampala-Masaka highway and have commenced works on the other half. Masaka-Mbarara highway is almost complete and will be handed over to us soon. We have also received funds from the European Union and European Investment Bank to construct a bypass around Mbarara town to ease the traffic flow. The works from Mbarara to Katuna are ongoing with the support of the EU. To strengthen the connection and access to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, UNRA is completing construction of the Kabale-Kisoro-BunaganaKyanika road. Bunagana is on Uganda’s border with DR Congo while Kyanika is on the Uganda-Rwanda border. A few years ago, we completed the KaseseMpondwe road on the border with DR Congo. We are also working on the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo-Lamia road which also connects Uganda to Congo. Moving northwards, we have started construction of the road from Gulu to Nimule (South Sudan). From the Arua side, we

32

January - February 2013

Busitema-Busia Road in the final phase of the works.

Masaka main roundabout.

What is your assessment on the contribution of the road sector towards boosting trade compared to the other means of transport across the EAC?

Weighbridges cause delays and nobody likes them, including us at UNRA. We put weighbridges on our corridors to protect our roads. We do not want a road that was supposed to last 20 years to last only 5 years. We are not fans for weighbridges but they are part of road maintenance. are constructing a road from VurraArua-Koboko to Oraba on the DR Congo border. Thus, most of the major road projects we have had are concentrated on improving the interconnection and trade with our neighbours in the East African region and other countries like DR Congo and South Sudan which have not yet joined the EAC but are major trading partners within the region.

We are mobilising funders for these roads. It is easier to market a road which enhances regional integration and trade, to our donors and other funding agencies. We have had a lot of support from Development Partners on construction of those road Corridors.

Right now, 90% of our regional trade is being facilitated by roads and that is very disappointing. Currently, Road transport is the engine of development, but we have to revamp our Railway and Water transport network to be competitive. For a country like Uganda at 50 years of independence, carrying 90% of her cargo by road is very disappointing.

We hope the government will expedite the plans to revamp our Railway system. That’s why people say that in the 1960s or early 1970s our roads used to last for years. The reason is that most of the heavy traffic during those years was through rail. Most of our petroleum was brought in by rail. If government revamps the rail system, our roads will last longer than they do today.

People say weighbridges along the border entry points cause unnecessary delays and affect trade across the region?

It is true weighbridges cause delays and nobody likes them, including us at UNRA. We put weighbridges on our corridors to protect our roads. We do not want a road that was supposed to last 20 years to last only 5 years. We are not fans for weighbridges but they are

INFRASTRUCTURe DEV'T

Masaka-Mbarara Road.

part of road maintenance. We look forward to reducing many of them but the region as a whole has to work together to streamline axle-load control. Why should an overloaded truck drive all the way from Mombasa without being stopped?

You have said roads are very expensive to construct and maintain especially cross-border roads/corridors. How is UNRA managing this challenge?

The recently tarmacked Kabale-Kisoro Road. The improved road network has increased trade and movement of agricultural products within Uganda and across its borders.

but we have also done a lot and we are starting to see the fruits of our intervention. Kenya has also done a lot as far as the Nairobi urban infrastructure is concerned. We have a number of major road projects around Kampala city coming up and we shall work with the Kampala City Council Authority to improve them.

What’s your description of Ugandan roads?

Our roads are better than they were

three to four years ago. As a whole, 70% of our National Roads network is in fairto-good condition. Where there are bad roads, they are under construction. The government has put infrastructure development, especially roads at the forefront and we hope to increase the number of paved roads in the next five years. We are moving towards having the best road network in the region. That will be critical because we are almost at the centre of the region feeding other countries.

Road maintenance is funded through the Uganda Road Fund. The money available through the Road Fund is not enough. Sometimes we do not do the necessary interventions at the right time. Most of our roads are murram and it’s a challenge to keep them open especially during the wet season. We have about 40 critical roads around the country that need to be upgraded to tarmac because they cannot be sustained as murrum roads due to the high traffic.

Critics say Kenyan roads are better than those of Uganda. What does that mean to Uganda?

I do not know that. But talk to a lot of Kenyan drivers, they will tell you they are very happy whenever they reach the Northern Corridor part of Uganda. It’s true Kenya has a lot of good roads, they have done a lot over the last five years

President Yoweri Museveni and the EU Commissioner for Development Adris Piebalgs cut a tape to commission the Masaka-Mbarara road. Left is the EU Head of Delegation Ambassador Roberto Ridolfi and the Minister of Works and Transport Eng. Abraham Byandaala (2nd left).

January - February 2013

33

Mechanisation

Choosing the right tractor for your farm

By Jim Middleton

Mechanised farming does not only increase production but also improves quality of the crop. There is a variety of machinery used in the production process especially at farm level. The most commonly used machinery in farming is a tractor. Tractors too are of various types and a farmer needs to know which type he should buy depending on various factors like the terrain of the farm, type of crop he wants to grow, the amount of money at his disposal, among other considerations.

T

he initial choice facing a farmer may be a two-wheel (walking) tractor versus the conventional fourwheel tractor. There is a big difference in price between the two types, which is the reason the two wheel tractors have found favour from many governments and donor agencies. But does this efficiency in price translate into performance in the field?

In 2011 the European Union commissioned a study into the effectiveness of two-wheel tractors supplied under an EU donor programme. After visiting around 50 farms in North Korea and Tanzania, the EU consultant concluded that the programme had not been very successful.

There were several reasons for this.

■■ Two-wheel tractors are ineffective for draft operations (that happen below the surface such as ploughing) as they were unable to reach the required depth. Also the mouldboards exhibited very high rates of tear and wear and quickly became unusable.

■■ Almost all operators complained of the excessive amount of physical effort to operate the machines for more than two hours.

■■ The use of a single cylinder engine causes high level of vibration leading to components failure through fatigue. Of all the tractors examined, 95% were found to have failures on the exhaust silencers and air cleaners. The transmissions, belt guards and handlebars also suffered frequent failures.

34

January - February 2013

■■ When used for transport, the trailer drawbar registered 100% failure rate, with many units having been repaired several times. This puts the driver at a risk of personal injury from being run over by the trailer when it fails.

■■ On sloping land, the large flywheel mounted on one side of the engine made the machines inherently unstable and overturning was a common problem.

■■ The fuel consumption was very

Mechanisation high compared to output.

There is a place for the two-wheel tractor but this would be primarily using powered implements in the production of high value crops on a very small scale such as growing vegetables in a greenhouse.

They are clearly not suited for large scale field use on crops such as maize, cotton, wheat and others.

So having made the decision that a tractor with a wheel at each corner is desirable, what are the main factors that should affect the farmer’s choice? The single most important factor is availability of spare parts and service for the tractor. This is fundamental as every tractor will need spare parts and service. To import spare parts into Uganda from distinguished UK

suppliers takes at least 5-7 days by courier.

If they are imported from India or China, it can take over four weeks. A one-week delay for a farmer from the optimum planting date is a long time. It can result in significant yield losses. It is therefore es-

Buying a new tractor has advantages as you will benefit from the manufacturer’s warranty, lower operating costs in the early years, higher availability and it will be easier to get financing from a bank. sential that the local supplier, for example in Uganda, has a large stock of spare parts.

It is advisable a farmer looks for an established dealer who sells a large number of tractors each year. Basic economics dictate that even the most committed dealer cannot stock many spare parts if he is only selling a few machines. A farmer should insist on seeing the dealer’s spare parts store. If the dealer is reluctant to show you his store, it suggests he does not hold a large stock of spares.

If you are satisfied that one or a number of different dealers can support the machines with spares and service, then the other factor affecting your choice will largely depend on your budget.

New versus Used tractors: In a mature market, such as Europe, there is a vibrant market for second hand tractors as many large farmers will change their tractors every 2-4 years. There is plenty of good quality used tractors.

However, in Uganda, very few companies have a replacement policy. They tend to keep their tractors for many years and sell when they are worn out. Coupled with the countrywide shortage of tractors, this means there are very few good used tractors for sale.

But also it is advisable to avoid buying cheap second hand tractors from Europe.

The specifications of these tractors are usually different from the models sold new in Africa. They have more electronics, computers and hydraulic functions. And would therefore require computer diagnostic software to trace problems. Given that even their spare parts will not be readily available on the Ugandan market, such

tractors would be much more expensive to operate in the long run.

Buying a new tractor has advantages as you will benefit from the manufacturer’s warranty, lower operating costs in the early years, higher availability and it will be easier to get financing from a bank.

It is also important to buy new tractors from the official dealer and not from the bond/warehouse yard dealers who cannot provide the manufacturer’s warranty, spare parts or service and often sell lower quality tractors not specified for the Ugandan market.

2 versus 4-wheel tractors A two-wheel drive tractor will initially require less capital amount and maintenance costs. But it’s less efficient in the field. At 90hp engine power and above, except for specialised transport operations, only a four-wheel drive tractor is capable of transferring the power to the land. For lower horsepower units, a two-wheel tractor can be used for field operations, but it is less efficient in the field than its 4-wheel counterpart.

Engine Power Higher horsepower tractors are generally more efficient and economic to operate. But they require bigger capital and their implements are comparably more expensive. The drive for very high horsepower (200+hp) machines has to a large extent been driven by increasing labour costs in first world countries, which does not apply in Africa. The tractor of 120-130hp combines good field efficiency with reasonable cost, without being too complicated and would be the best choice for the large scale farmer or contractor. Where the tractor will be used in smaller fields with time spent on the road between fields, then a smaller tractor would be more suitable.

(In the next edition of this magazine, we shall examine different tillage systems and the implements).

Jim Middleton is a chartered agricultural engineer and a farmer in Nwoya District with experience o over 20 years in agricultural mechanisation in Uganda and Kenya.

January - February 2013

35

Agro-Forestry

By Walter Mapanda

T

rees are unsung friends and feeders of man. But many people tend to ignore this fact. They help in the manufacture of food and production of oxygen for man. They support agriculture by variously boosting soil fertility.

Trees are on the frontlines of our changing climate. And when the oldest trees in the world suddenly start dying, it’s time to pay attention.

Trees are not merely pleasant sources of shade but a potentially major answer to some of our most pressing environmental problems. We take them for granted, but they are a near miracle. In a natural process called photosynthesis, for example, trees turn one of the seemingly most insubstantial things — sunlight — into food for human beings, insects and wildlife and use it to create shade, beauty and wood for fuel, furniture and homes.

Humans have cut down the biggest and best trees and left the runts behind.

That does not spell a safe future for mankind.

Decades ago, Katsuhiko Matsunaga, a marine chemist at Hokkaido University in Japan, discovered that when tree leaves decompose, they leach acids into the ocean that help fertilize plankton.

When plankton thrive, so does the rest of the food chain. In a campaign called Forests Are Lovers of the Sea, fishermen have replanted forests along coasts and rivers to bring back fish and oyster stocks. And they have returned.

In Africa, millions of acres of parched land have been reclaimed through strategic tree growth. In Uganda, initiatives have been launched to restore and or increase the country’s forest and tree cover. Under the European Union funded programme, Sawlog Production Grant Scheme (SPGS) which promotes private investment in timber production in Uganda, diverse types of trees such as Teak have been planted on various sizes of acreage in different parts of the country.

Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) is recognised worldwide for its excellent wood properties which make it suitable for a range of uses. The original home of

36

January - February 2013

Kilombero Valley teak plantation at 8 years.

Tree growing is a worthy investment teak trees is in countries of Myanmar, India, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Teak has been introduced in East African countries Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda including Sudan and also in West Africa.

This article highlights the uniqueness and uses of teak timber and various practices associated with management and production of teak in plantations. It also examines the prospects of developing teak plantations and the associated investment risks in Uganda.

In places where optimum site-species matching is done for teak plantations, they are normally very profitable.

If maintained properly, a hectare of teak trees can fetch over $250 000 (Shs600m) in 20 years. Generally plantation establishment and maintenance costs are projected at approximately $17,000 per hectare in 20 years. There-

fore investment costs for teak establishment and maintenance are generally low compared to the revenue realised through thinnings and final harvest (FAO 1985, Chudamannil 1986, cited in Robertson B, 2002).

However, teak requires more intensive care than Pine and Eucalyptus and there are serious social, economic and environmental considerations one has to take into account when proposing a teak plantation programme.

Teak monoculture plantations are susceptible to pests, especially when undergrowth is suppressed and site conditions are suboptimal. Genetically superior planting species are scarce and poor standards of post planting care (slashing, chemical and manual weeding) have adversely affected the productivity of teak plantations in the world. In Uganda, information that is available on teak site-species matching,

Agro-Forestry

Climatic factors Altitude (m)

Drought

Rainfall (mm)

Temp ( OC)

Effective Rooting Depth (mm)

< 1000

Teak is very resistant

1250 to 3750

13 to 40

>800

Teak grows and develops well in low attitudes, high rainfall areas and in climates that have a three to four months dry season with less than 60mm precipitation. The hotter and wetter the better. It favours sites where the soils are very deep.

Source: Kaosa-ard, 1981 cited in Panama Forestry (2006) Teak thrives best on soils that are neutral or slightly alkaline. Soils that are rich in iron and aluminium lead to stunted teak growth. It is a calcicolous species.

Source: White 1991 & Kadambi 1972 cited Robertson B. (2002)

Teak Sawlog Establishment Plan Land Clearing (Including burning)

Land Preparation (Chemical and manual)

Planting

Singling

Weeding (Includes yearly ring hoeing, inter row slash and inter row spray)

Frequency

1

1

1

2

Age of crop

-

-

0

1-6 (months) 0-3 (years)

3-4

Source: Bekker et.al., (2004)

Teak Sawlog Maintenance Plan Pruning branches

Prun Epicormic Shoots

Thinning

Clear felling

Frequency

5

5

3

1

Age of crop (years)

2-6

2-6

8-18

25-30

Source: Bekker et.al., (2004) establishment, fertilizer application, response to weeds, thinning and pruning is outdated, scarce and scattered.

Most Precious Wood Teak weighs approximately a tonne per 1.5 cubic metres of seasonal sawn timber. It is a slow growing tree thus timber that is produced is denser and heavier than that from other timber species. It also has little tendency to split or warp. Air seasoning of teak is slow but once seasoned, the timber is exceptionally stable and has a low co-efficient of expansion and contraction under changes of atmospheric temperature and humidity.

Teak is highly resistant to termites and marine borers. The wood has a distinct oily feel which makes it water, acid and fire resistant. The durabil-

ity of teakwood comes from a variety of natural reasons including high oil content and silica. The oily resins called tectoquinones naturally repel termites and resist rot. The silica content makes it difficult for marine borers to damage the timber. It is also resistant to decay when fully exposed to the weather. Teak has outstanding wood properties. For that reason it has a variety of construction uses, which include flooring, decking, deck houses, rails, hatches, weather door, planking, cladding, fascias and barge boards. It has decorative applications such as lining, panelling, turnery, carving, outdoor and indoor (cabinet work, sleepers) furniture and parquetry.

Teak is also highly priced as a boat and ship builderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s timber.

Relative humidity and annual rainfall are the most important climatic factors

influencing the growth of Teak (Pandey, 1966 cited in Panama Forestry, 2006).

Under proper conditions, plantation teak can be grown without artificial fertilizers or irrigation and this is thought to give it the look and durability of old growth teak from southeast Asia.

Spacing Planting spacing of 3 x3m is recommended. At this spacing a balance between site utilisation and weeding cost is also provided. All thinnings are commercially important. Income from thinnings can offset the cost of land clearing to thinning operations themselves which are in fact the most expensive maintenance activities.

Prospects of Teak planting in Uganda In Uganda natural forests have been and are encroached upon without replenishment. The depletion of the hardwood stocks is faster than the regeneration. This will increase demand for timber from the surviving natural forests. Teak is an ideal hardwood species for planting in some suitable parts of Uganda such as Kitgum, Moyo, Yumbe, Koboko, Arua and Gulu districts in northern Uganda could be considered for extensive teak plantation development since they have the ideal conditions for teak growth. Teak is easy to regenerate and manage in plantations and its timber fetches high prices on the international market as shown in the table below.

Increased yield and higher uniformity would be the key incentives for developing intensively managed teak plantations in Uganda. Ugandans will need to go through a learning phase on the science and practice of teak planting.

In young teak plantations, the proportion of sapwood is quite large but the sapwood proportion in old growth teak is small since trees will be growing slowly by then. The challenge for Ugandan teak growers would be to maximise the diameter of the tree as well as diameter of the higher value heartwood.

Walter Mapanda is Plantation Technical Advisor with Norwegian Forestry Group in Uganda.

January - February 2013

37

Agro-Forestry

We must learn ethics for sustainable farming

W

hen we look at our landscapes, farms, homes and cities, we see the results of human behaviours. The way we access, consume and create resources shapes the visible landscapes we find ourselves living in and ethics drive our behaviours. It’s plain to see that there are many issues with our current behaviours. We create garbage, contaminate our water supply, lose our top soil due to poor farming practices, poison ourselves with chemicals on and in our food and we are rapidly deforesting the planet. How many of us in our daily lives attribute the problems of our society to ethics?

I have been in Ntungamo district where we have conducted training workshops for people selected from the 8 arch-deaconries representing the Church of Uganda in the region. This campaign, similar to the church itself, is based upon an ethical mission: to develop a soil building culture.

Where the church aims to establish positive ethics founded on the powerful concepts of Love and Acceptance, we are actively teaching sustainable design science to enable the church reforest the region with food producing forests, sustainable farming practices and home scale vegetable production techniques. All these require an understanding of ethics.

Sponsored by Roofings Group, the “We Build Soils” campaign is ultimately an ethical mission to help people understand the current problems we are facing and then provide the students with solutions. It will turn them into ambassadors for their local communities to start the move to sustainability.

Good ethics are the reason Roofings takes extra care to produce quality products and meet its tax obligations to the country. Companies which produce substandard products and dodge taxes are similar to a farmer who practises bush burning, monoculture and uses dangerous pesticides and fertilizers which destroy the soil biology on their land. Such a manufac-

38

January - February 2013

By Aaron Elton

turer and farmer are thinking short term.

The quality of an organic egg can be up to 16 times more nutritional than a chemically produced egg. The organic egg costs a little more, but the long term benefits far outweigh the cost at market in terms of your own health.

If our countries are to become sustainable and productive in terms of living standards, we need to look at our ethics and the results they have on our long term lifestyle. Buy cheap products from a company that dodges taxes and not only will you need to re-buy those sheets after a short time, but your government loses revenue it critically needs for national development. Use chemicals that degrade your soil biology and kill nature; not only are you poisoning your community but the

earth is losing its valuable resources that are needed to provide us with clean air, water and vegetation and you will be the next victim of your own indiscipline.

So what are the ethics of a sustainable culture? Care for the earth and all living creatures in everything you do, use the earth’s resources responsibly, replace what you take, allow resources to replenish.

Care for people in everything you do.

Don’t invest in schemes or plans which affect or harm people, directly or indirectly, do your research and find out what products are good for your farm in the long term and use natural sources of fertilizer and pesticides.

Any excess you have of anything should be re-invested into earth-people care projects. That’s why, for example, Roofings is partnering with South Ankole Diocese of Church of Uganda seeking a sustainable future through education, reforestation, community empowerment and ethical farming practices.

Everybody should think hard about their own behaviours and how they affect the landscape of the country. I believe that Africa is the keystone in the building of a sustainable global economy, you have the land, resources and choice. Do you want to go sustainable or unsustainable practices?

Make your choice.

Participants at an agro-forestry training workshop in Ntungamo district.

Commentary

Uganda gifted by nature, undeveloped by man

U

ganda is endowed with fertile soils and good climate. The country has two effective growing seasons, adequate rainfall (1500mm). These factors combine to give Ugandan farmers bountiful harvests. A wide range of crops can be grown because of the good soils and climate. However because of traditional and rudimentary methods of farming which depend heavily on nature, our farm yield levels are very low. Thus agriculture has been deemed a non-profitable enterprise.

We need a revolution in agriculture that will make farmers adopt high quality hybrid seeds, seed dressing with proper chemicals, addition of fertilizers on the basis of soil test results and judicious usage of crop protection chemicals. Without maintaining soil structure/organic matter content, following crop rotation, reducing soil compaction through modern practices, we shall not be able to produce enough food to feed our growing population and increase our household incomes.

We need to adopt good agronomic practices, which is a collection of principles to be applied on the farm for production and post-production processes that will result in higher yields while taking into account environmental, social and economic sustainability.

Time is now for the government and

maximum impact on the targeted farmers/farmer groups. The demonstration should be so laid that it can be easily compared with the existing local farmer practice.

Field days

By Tiby Thomas

the private sector to direct the population to adopt improved package of agronomic practices at the farm level.

Adoption of good agronomic practices can be achieved through:

Seminars before the start of a growing season There is a need to organize seminars in relevant areas where modern agricultural practices right from land preparation to post-harvest handling should be explained in detail to all those engaged in the production chain.

Demonstration plots or farms Demonstrations of appropriate technology should be laid in convenient plots which are strategically located to have

To publicize the impact Crop Shows should be organized where farmers are able to view and assess the results.

Regular farmer visits to modern farms and technology sites should be organized so that farmers can familiarize themselves with modern agricultural technology.

Crop competition: To motivate farmers to attain higher yields by adopting superior technology, crop exhibitions should be organized at county and or sub-county level.

Distribution of testimonies Farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; success stories should be distributed for others to share so that maximum impact is achieved.

The cost-benefit ratio of new technology should be effectively explained so that the farmer is encouraged to adopt newer technology for better and sustainable agriculture in Uganda.

Tiby Thomas is a Certified crop advisor at Twiga Chemicals Uganda

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