Meeting with The Honourable Fred Bwino Kyagulaga, State Minister of Agriculture of Uganda

Rabat - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today in Rabat with The Honourable Fred Bwino Kyagulaga, State Minister of Agriculture of Uganda, on the margins of the 33rd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC33).

The Director-General thanked the Minister for the support and long-standing cooperation that exists between FAO and Uganda. He informed the Minister that he recognizes the huge agricultural challenges that Uganda is facing and hence the decision to strengthen the FAO Country Office in Uganda to ensure more efficient, effective, and fit-for-purpose support. 

The Minister appreciated FAO’s support and cooperation and informed of the efforts still needed towards defeating the desert locust problem. In this regard, he requested that capacity be strengthened towards addressing the breeding stages of this pest. The Director-General confirmed that the FAO Emergency Centre would continue working with the Government of Uganda to address the situation.

The Minister also requested assistance to fight food and mouth disease, which was currently affecting livestock, including assistance with vaccines especially for smallholder farmers. In this regard, the Director-General referred to capacity training offered through the FAO/IAEA Joint Laboratory.