Interview: Chinese technologies set to boost agricultural production, household incomes in Uganda, official says

The technologies being shared by Chinese experts in the crop, livestock, and fisheries sectors in rural Uganda are set to enhance production and ultimately improve household incomes, according to a Ugandan official.

KAMPALA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The technologies being shared by Chinese experts in the crop, livestock, and fisheries sectors in rural Uganda are set to enhance production and ultimately improve household incomes, according to a Ugandan official.

"These technologies are all being introduced here, tried, produced, and adopted. A number of varieties have been officially released, including rice and foxtail millet," Julius Twinamasiko, head of the Ugandan side of the South-South Cooperation (SSC) project between China and Uganda, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Since the SSC project began in 2012 and is now in its third phase, China has dispatched more than 60 experts to assist Ugandan farmers in transitioning from subsistence to commercial farming. In addition, China has set up three agricultural technology transfer hubs focusing on crop varieties, livestock, and fisheries, according to Twinamasiko.

Figures from Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries show that 248 new varieties of rice, millet, and sorghum have been introduced through the SSC framework. One major achievement in the crop sector is the introduction of the WDR-73, a new high-yielding and drought-resistant rice variety developed jointly by China's Shanghai Agrobiological Gene Center and Uganda's state-run National Agricultural Research Organization.

The variety, according to Twinamasiko, is now being promoted nationwide and has benefited nearly 5,000 households. It has resulted in the production of 15,000 tons of rice and increased the average household income by 4 million Ugandan shillings (about 1,100 U.S. dollars).

Twinamasiko said that this year, the project is prioritizing the completion of 300-acre rice demonstration sites and 60-acre foxtail millet demonstration sites.

Technologies have also been introduced in the livestock sector, particularly in poultry and dairy farming. Aquaculture has also benefited from the introduction of rice-fish farming and fingerling production.

The project aims to set up 1,400 broiler demonstration sites and 200 beef cattle demonstration sites. The process of importing big-ear goats from China has also been initiated, according to Twinamasiko.

"There is a tremendous impact not only on incomes but also on food and nutrition security," the official said.■