KAMPALA — The Office of the National Chairman (ONC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has called for a review of Uganda’s agricultural input support framework to make quality seedlings and other planting materials more affordable, accessible and responsive to farmers’ needs.
The call follows concerns raised by farmers across the country through ONC coordinators, farmer groups, community leaders and other grassroots stakeholders over the rising cost and limited availability of agricultural inputs, particularly quality coffee seedlings.
In a press statement issued on August 24, 2026, the ONC said the increasing cost of seedlings could undermine efforts to transform households from subsistence production into the money economy.
“Uganda’s economic transformation agenda cannot be achieved when farmers are unable to afford the basic inputs required to produce,” the ONC said.
The organisation said farmers need an agricultural input system that is affordable, timely, locally responsive and suited to Uganda’s different climatic and agro-ecological conditions.
The ONC noted that the concerns are particularly important under the Parish Development Model (PDM), which was introduced as a last-mile strategy to support households to transition from subsistence production into the money economy.
According to the statement, agricultural value-chain development is one of the core areas of PDM, with the framework providing for support for productive agricultural inputs, including seed, fertilisers, pesticides and other inputs.
The ONC argued that PDM financing should be complemented by an effective agricultural support system so that beneficiaries can access affordable planting materials, extension services and markets.
The organisation also raised concerns that some PDM beneficiaries may divert funds intended for productive activities to immediate household needs such as school fees and other basic expenses.
It said this should not only be treated as an individual beneficiary problem but also as a signal to strengthen the broader ecosystem supporting PDM beneficiaries.
Call for region-specific support
The ONC proposed that Government consider reinstating and strengthening strategic distribution of agricultural seedlings and inputs, while learning from challenges experienced under previous programmes.
It stressed that agricultural support should not follow a one-size-fits-all approach because Uganda’s regions have different climatic conditions, soils and agricultural potential.
The organisation called for a region-specific and science-led system based on the crops suitable for each area, availability of certified planting materials, planting seasons and the actual needs and production capacity of farmers.
It further called for transparent targeting and distribution, stronger monitoring to prevent diversion of inputs and improved coordination among national agencies, local governments, agricultural extension workers, farmer organisations and communities.
The ONC also highlighted the importance of quality assurance, particularly in the coffee sector, where the National Coffee Act, 2021 provides for the licensing and regulation of coffee nursery operators and requires farmers to obtain planting materials from certified operators.
Government urged to act
The organisation called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Local Government, local governments and other relevant government institutions to listen to farmers’ concerns and review the current agricultural input support framework.
The ONC said the objective should go beyond simply distributing seedlings to ensuring that farmers can afford to plant, maintain and eventually harvest productive crops.
It also called for stronger coordination between PDM financing and agricultural input support to ensure beneficiaries are not left with financing but without affordable planting materials, extension services and access to markets.
“Uganda’s farmers are ready to produce. They need an enabling environment that makes production economically possible,” the ONC said.
The organisation said improved access to affordable, quality and climate-suitable agricultural inputs would help protect household incomes, increase agricultural productivity, strengthen the PDM’s objective of moving households into the money economy and contribute to Uganda’s export growth and wider economic transformation agenda.