The food insecurity in parts of this country should make us to pause and ask ourselves what we are not doing right and what we need to do better- UG PM Speech.

Uganda Prime Minister Rt Hon Robinah Nabbanja on World Food Day 2022 – Courtesy photos

SPEECH BY RT HON ROBINAH NABBANJA, PRIME MINISTER, OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA, ON WORLD FOOD DAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE NATIONAL CROP RESEARCH RESOURCE INSTITUTE NAMULONGE.
SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER 2022

Honorable Ministers & Ministers of State, The Country Representative FAO, The Country Director WFP, Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Agencies, Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am pleased to join you today to celebrate World Food Day, a day dedicated to creating awareness and action against hunger and the need to ensure food security and nutritious diet for all.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are marking this World Food Day when the world is grappling with the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, shortages in the global supply chains, very high inflation levels, climate change challenges, all of which have an impact on food systems.

In moments like these, it is more important to recognize the need to support our food heroes– the farmers, market vendors, transporters, processors, among others who support the food systems – and make sure that food makes its way from the farm to the plate.

Ladies and gentlemen, the theme for this Year’s Celebrations of : “Leave No One Behind. Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life.” is timely.

As a country, we need to grow a variety of foods to feed a growing population and leave no one behind. But as we all know from what we have been watching and reading in the news, a number of our brothers and sister have been left behind in food security.

Due to a number of factors, such as extended droughts, poor yields, pests and diseases, insecurity, poor farming practices, our friends in Karamoja, Teso, parts of Acholi, etc are facing hunger.

This is an embarrassment for a country that prides itself as gifted by nature and as a country with fertile soils and abundant water and good weather.

The food insecurity in parts of this country should make us to pause and ask ourselves what we are not doing right and what we need to do better. It should make us to pause and ask ourselves what our scientists in Ministry of Agriculture, private sector, and everyone are not doing right.
It should make us to pause and ask what the leadership at all levels, from the politicians, religious and cultural leaders are not doing right.When we meet for functions like these, we should not just stop at making nice statements, but commit ourselves to practically make a difference in the lives of our people.

The NRM Government continues to prioritize agriculture as one of the key sectors to drive Uganda’s economy in terms of employment, food and Nutrition security and wealth creation.

The sector has continued to register significant progress contributing 26.2% of National GDP, 54% of exports and employing over 70% of Uganda’s population.

This is a result of continued investment in agriculture and recently intensified effort in supporting the provision of planting and stocking materials as well as delivery of agricultural extension services.

But we need to do more.The success of the Parish Development Model, our game changer program for improving household incomes and fighting poverty should in many ways also contribute to food security as agriculture is a key pillar of the program.We also need to harness the benefits of regional integration through trade and strengthening Intra-African trade especially markets for value added agricultural products.

We also need to make strategic investments in water for agriculture production so as to have sustained productions all the year round.In order to regionalize the delivery of mechanisation services as well as Water for Agriculture Production services across the country, Government has opened up Regional Mechanization Centres at Namalere, Buwama, Agwata, Kiryandongo, and Mbale the whole country will be covered in the phased manner.

Using the acquired heavy earth moving equipment, Government constructed and rehabilitated valley tanks in the drought and cattle corridor Districts country wide. Government continues to invest in irrigation infrastructure as well as demonstrating simple irrigation and water harvesting technologies.

Government will continue to support sustainable farming systems which produce nutritious diets for all people while protecting the capacity of future generations to feed them.

Government remains committed to developing agricultural production and productivity technologies for feeding our people.

With these remarks, I thank and happy World Food Day.

For God and my country.

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