Kampala, (UG):- The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) has appreciated the Korean government for pioneering a vegetable production enhancement drive in Uganda.
The praise was made by NARO’s Deputy Director General in charge of Agricultural Technology Promotion, Dr Sadik Kassim, during a meeting he was chairing under the VegeSeed project at NARO headquarters in Kampala.
The VegeSeed project aims to lay the foundation for the mid-to-long-term development of new vegetable varieties in Uganda by strengthening the certification system and disseminating certified seeds for five vegetable crops: Nakati, Tomato, Onion, Cabbage, and Chili pepper.
Dr. Kassim commended the Korean government for its longstanding partnership with Uganda through NARO, which has seen several projects implemented in the horticulture sector. He cited the citrus value chain development project in Eastern Uganda, which has supported many farmers in Teso and neighbouring areas that grow fruits for commercial purposes.
“Ugandan farmers have been highly dependent on imported seeds for tomatoes, onions, and cabbages, but the VegeSeed project will bring this to an end”, he highlighted.
He also expressed optimism that the planned training of NARO scientists in Korea would result in skills transfer to sustain vegetable seed production in the country.
Earlier, the project, unveiled in 2022, reached a new milestone when a host of greenhouses, a key component for breeding, were handed over to NARO by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
The Country Director – KOICA, Jihee Ahn, described the greenhouses as a fundamental set of infrastructures, serving as a stepping stone to the next level, which includes procurement and installation of equipment for the seed value chain.
The newly deployed project manager, Prof. Young-Rog Yeoung, revealed that in the short time he has spent in Uganda, he had observed the country’s excellent weather conditions for vegetable production, are not only for local consumption but also for export to the international market.
“I have visited a number of NARO research institutes and so far I am very impressed by the breeding programs there. Plus, we should leverage the very good weather to export vegetables to foreign markets and improve farmers’ incomes,” he noted.
This initiative considerably contributes to the agricultural industrialization agenda by Europe and Asia, currently estimated at USD 7 million. With the increasing market demand for vegetables and fruits driven by rapid urbanization and changing dietary needs, the adoption of these improved technologies is expected to double Uganda’s current annual vegetable production, which is estimated at 5.3 million tons and worth USD 34 million.
Other project components include the establishment of infrastructure for vegetable breeding and certification, empowerment of human resource capacity, establishment of infrastructure for certified vegetable seed production, building farmers’ capacity, and improving distribution, dissemination, and farmers’ awareness of certified seeds.
Dr. Kassim underscored the importance of maintaining the project facilities in operation and pledged that their operationalization would be incorporated into the NARO annual work plans and budgets. Several members of the NARO Top Policy Management team and Directors of the implementing institutes attended the meeting.
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