AGENCY
Uganda’s push to clean up its food system and fix chronic shortages of quality farm inputs has landed squarely before Parliament, with the Ministry of Agriculture seeking an additional Shs213 billion in the 2026/27 budget to revive a national seed company and establish a new Food and Agriculture Authority.
Parliament Watch Uganda, reports that the request was presented by Bright Rwamirama, Minister of State for Animal Industry, as he appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture on January 28, 2026, to defend the ministry’s National Budget Framework Paper.
As per he ministry’s allocations , Shs50 billion is earmarked to revive a government-owned seed company to improve access to certified planting materials, while Shs163 billion is required to establish a Food and Agriculture Authority to regulate food safety and curb contamination across the agricultural value chain.
According to Parliament Watch Uganda, Rwamirama told MPs that the proposed Food and Agriculture Authority would strengthen regulation of food production, handling, storage and marketing, in line with Uganda’s food safety obligations and export ambitions.
“We need a food and agricultural regulatory authority to ensure safe, high-quality food products and reduce contamination risks along the food chain. This will improve compliance with international standards and enhance Uganda’s competitiveness in export markets,” he said.
Uganda currently regulates food safety through fragmented laws and institutions, including local governments and sector agencies, a gap that has repeatedly been flagged by auditors and trade partners.
The proposed authority would align with national commitments under the National Development Plan III, which prioritises agro-industrialisation, value addition and export growth.
The minister also defended the revival of a national seed company, arguing that market liberalisation and privatisation had failed to curb the spread of counterfeit and low-quality seeds, particularly affecting smallholder farmers.
Uganda once operated a national seed company before it was privatised in the 1990s, on the assumption that the private sector would meet growing demand. Rwamirama conceded that this expectation was not realised.
“Fake and counterfeit inputs are flooding the market. Establishing a national seed company will help us bridge the gap, especially for smallholders who cannot easily access certified seed and stocking materials,” he said.
Under the proposal, government would acquire land, recruit staff, and establish five regional seed hubs, largely using existing public farms and semi-idle government land to reduce costs.
Beyond the Shs213 billion request, the ministry also asked Parliament for an additional Shs200 billion to scale up seed and stocking material production, multiplication and distribution through public institutions.
These include the Uganda Prisons Service, Uganda People’s Defence Forces farms, National Enterprise Corporation, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC).
“The Shs200 billion is required to bridge the gap between the increasing demand for quality seeds and the current supply system. These public investments should address availability, access, high costs and the use of quality seeds that meet both market and ecological requirements,” Rwamirama said.
Agriculture employs more than 60 percent of Uganda’s workforce and contributes about 24 percent of GDP, yet productivity remains low, partly due to limited access to certified inputs and weak extension services.
The minister also flagged a major staffing crisis, revealing that the ministry has failed to fill 5,357 vacant extension worker positions at district and sub-county levels, crippling farmer education, inspection, certification and disease surveillance.
“This is a very big challenge. We need the money to fill these vacancies. Educating farmers is the only way we can increase production and productivity,” Rwamirama told MPs.
Government priorities for the sector in 2026/27, he added, include expanding irrigation and mechanisation, investing in water for agriculture, controlling pests and diseases, constructing multipurpose laboratories, developing vaccines, improving post-harvest handling and strengthening regulation of agricultural inputs and produce.
As Parliament scrutinises the budget, lawmakers are expected to weigh whether the proposed spending can decisively tackle food safety risks, counterfeit inputs and weak extension services—longstanding bottlenecks that continue to undermine Uganda’s agricultural potential.
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