By Umaru Kashaka
The ministry of agriculture, through the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is working on customised waste management solutions for poultry farmers in Uganda.
Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze said that poultry waste is a source of a number of products such as manure, biogas and briquettes, among others.
“The farmers need safe methodology and technology to use in processing the waste in a manner that is environmentally sustainable,” he said on Tuesday, December 19.
NARO has been working hard to transform poultry farming in Uganda. It says on its website that poultry contributes to improved human nutrition and food security by being a leading source of high-quality protein in the form of eggs and meat.
“It acts as a key supplement to revenue from crops and other livestock enterprises, thus avoiding over-dependency on traditional commodities with inconsistent prices,” it says.
It also says poultry farming has a high potential to generate foreign exchange earnings through the export of poultry products to neighboring countries.
“Poultry is highly prized in many social-cultural functions such as dowry and festivities. The poultry industry in Uganda is relatively new. Its major problem is, therefore, associated with its further expansion, though care must be taken to avoid overproduction,” NARO says.
It also says the industry is characterized by widely diverse methods of production which include village flocks, small-scale commercial flocks and large-scale commercial farms.
“Constraints in poultry production include production related constraints (inadequate access to improved breed, access and affordability of feed, disease control), lack of knowledge and skills, inadequate capital at all levels and marketing,” it adds.
