MAAIF Minister Frank Tumwebaze
The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Frank Tumwebaze has in an address on fake inputs, fake agro-chemicals and fake acaracides on the Ugandan markets said that problem mainly is in the veterinary sector, but also to some extent, “in the agricultural sector.”
According to Tumwebaze, “the ministry of Agriculture has noted with concern the growing number of reports we get, that all these drugs most of them do not have the required levels of efficacy.”
Like I had announced some months back when when I took over the ministry of Agriculture, Tumwebaze added in a recorded message (according to PML Daily) that “we put up a committee, a technical committee, to study the issues, to study the supply chain, factors responsible for increasing tick resistance, to study why farmers do not get value from the acaracides or other inputs they buy.”
He says that the ministry has not rested.
“We are still waiting for the committee’s reports to tell us, such that we are able to formulate policy and regulatory reforms, informed by evidence of experts,” he said.
But while that one is still ongoing, Tumwebaze says that MAAIF now working with NDA is going to intensify through the district authorities, to publicize registered veterinary drug and authorized drug sellers and distributors, such that the farmer, take personal responsibility before buying the drugs.
“You ask yourself that this outlet that I am going to bug in at my trading centre, in Gulu, in Kamwenge, in Mbarara, Soroti, is it on the NDA-MAAIF list?” Tumwebaze appealed to farmers.
Because if we don’t intensify that, Tumwebaze says that “fake products will continue to litter the market” and “they will be offered at attractively low prices to lure all of you into that of course the genuine ones will be priced higher.”
“So a farmer ordinarily will go with what is priced cheap, or lower and that one in most cases will be the fake ones. So, bear with us, join us, anything you buy ask yourselves, is this on the NDA list?” Tumwebaze said.
According to Tumwebaze, in the coming days, MAAIF and NDA will issue and publicize through the entire mass media and social media, the registered pharmacies, registered drug stores for veterinary or non veterinary.
“We will start with veterinary, per district, such that you know if its my district of Kamwenge, we should know the drug pharmacies, veterinary drug pharmacies licensed. Then if you buy a drug from there, and is not working on your animals, then you are able to trace, you are able to report, and we hold accountable that store. That store will also be responsible for where they source they source their drugs. If they are the type who go and buy anything from the container village, yet they are licensed, they risk loosing their license and suffering the associated legal penalties. So now, I am sending you this legal message share it, in as many networks of farmers you can, to let you know we are not sitting, to let you know we know the problem, we are part of the farming community, and together we shall address it,” Tumwebaze said.
