ALLAN BAMUHA: Uganda’s Booming Agricultural Sector and Expanding Regional and International Markets

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an opinion article by Allan Bamuha, identified as the Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Kyenjojo, arguing that Uganda’s agriculture sector is expanding because of supportive public policies, better farming technologies, increased investment and stronger demand in nearby and overseas markets. The article describes agriculture as a central part of Uganda’s economy, saying it employs more than two-thirds of the population and supports exports, food security and industrial activity.

Bamuha points to government programmes and interventions including the Parish Development Model, Emyooga, UWEP, YLP, irrigation, mechanisation, extension services, improved seed distribution and value addition as drivers of a shift from subsistence farming toward commercial production. He identifies coffee as Uganda’s leading agricultural export and says demand is growing in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America, while also listing tea, cocoa, maize, beans, rice, dairy, fish, poultry, fruits, flowers, sesame, vanilla, avocados and horticultural products among expanding products.

The article says Uganda benefits regionally as a food supplier within the East African Community and COMESA, with exports going to countries including Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi. It also cites trade arrangements such as AfCFTA and European Union preferences as opportunities for international market access.

For context, the author contrasts current growth with the difficulties of the 1980s and 1990s, when instability, weak institutions, poor infrastructure and limited inputs affected production. He argues that later reforms, market liberalisation, road rehabilitation, research and private sector participation helped agriculture recover, while noting continuing constraints such as limited credit, reliance on rainfall, low mechanisation, post-harvest losses and insufficient value addition.