Agr. budget: MPs want shs50b allocated for ‘tonnes of maize and bean seeds’

Members of Parliament on the Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries Committee recommended that shs50 billion be allocated in the next budget.

The figures above are recommended for the procurement of 30 and 20 tonnes of maize and bean seeds, respectively.

To address food security, the seeds will be distributed in each district across the country.

Linda Agnes Auma, the Lira district woman MP, read the committee’s recommendation (report) on Thursday while presenting the committee’s report, the Ministerial Policy Statement, and budget estimates for fiscal year 2025/26.

Relatedly, the House also recommended that shs50b be set aside for the procurement of coffee seedlings for distributions to farmers across the country.

Stella Atyang, the Moroto district woman MP, proposed that one tractor be provided per parish to support agricultural mechanization.

Meanwhile, Lawrence Songa, Ora County MP in Zombo district, said the government should put in place an insurance policy for small-scale farmers to cushion them against perils.

Small-scale farmers have been hit hard by the effects of climate change, with many reporting losses each season due to, among other things, drought.

Earlier, Fred Bwino, State Minister for Agriculture, stated that the issues raised by MPs to support farmers across the country necessitated an additional budget.

Bwino challenged MPs to make the allocation during the current budget process.

Parliament later processed and approved the agriculture committee’s report.

Agriculture, long regarded as the country’s backbone, has seen a reduction in budgetary allocations year after year.

Agriculture received shs644.39 billion in the fiscal year 2024/25, a decrease from the shs1 trillion allocated in 2023/24.

The total budget for the current fiscal year is shs72 trillion.

Meanwhile, agriculture sector is set to receive shs611.5 billion for development projects and shs188.1 billion for recurrent expenditures in the shs72 trillion proposed budget for 2025/26.

Since the 2003 Maputo Protocol summit, when African governments pledged to devote 10% of their national budgets to agriculture, Uganda has consistently failed to meet this pledge.