President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has reaffirmed Uganda’s push to scale up agricultural production and agro-industrialization during talks with the Netherlands Ambassador to Uganda, Frederieke Quispel, held at State House Entebbe.
The discussions centered on strengthening cooperation in agriculture, animal feed production, fish farming, and broader economic investment between Uganda and Netherlands, with particular emphasis on addressing the growing demand for raw materials required by Dutch-supported industries operating in Uganda.
A key highlight of the meeting was the expanding animal feed sector, including investments such as the De Heus Fish Feed Factory, which has increased demand for maize, cassava, and soya beans. President Museveni underscored the need to boost local production of these crops to ensure steady supply to factories and reduce dependence on imports.
“We shall now produce more maize and cassava,” the President said, noting plans to convene a national conference bringing together maize growers to strategize on increasing production and meeting industrial demand.
“I am going to convene a conference of maize growers,” he added.
Museveni also proposed removing taxes on locally produced animal feeds, arguing that such a move would encourage domestic production, improve competitiveness, and attract further investment into the sector.
On environmental conservation, the President reiterated government efforts to promote fish farming as a sustainable alternative livelihood, aimed at reducing human encroachment on wetlands. He stressed the need to transition communities away from wetland-based agriculture.
“I want you to do fish farming as a strategy to get the locals out of the wetlands. I want to get those rice growers out of the wetlands,” he said.
Ambassador Quispel, in response, described her diplomatic assignment in Uganda as the most rewarding of her career, praising the country’s agricultural potential and investment environment.
“This is the best job I have had in my entire career,” she said.
She conveyed greetings and best wishes from the King of the Netherlands, noting continued commitment to strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.
According to the ambassador, the Netherlands currently hosts about 60 active companies operating in Uganda, making it one of the country’s largest foreign investors. She, however, highlighted a key challenge facing animal feed manufacturers: limited local supply of raw materials, forcing some companies to import soya from countries such as Zambia.
“These factories have difficulty in finding the raw materials and are forced to import some soya from Zambia, as well as maize and cassava. We work with smallholder farmers but the supply is still not enough,” she noted.
Despite the challenges, she expressed optimism that Dutch investors are ready to support farmer cooperatives to boost production and strengthen value chains in Uganda’s agricultural sector.
“Our people are willing to invest in these cooperatives. There is a lot of demand for these raw materials for feed,” she said.
The ambassador further commended Uganda’s agricultural potential, saying the Netherlands continues to draw inspiration from the country’s farming systems, and pledged continued partnership in promoting sustainable agricultural development.