Kampala: UGANDA has announced plans to issue cattle with birth certificates under a national livestock registration exercise, reports said.
Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries minister Vincent Ssempijja, is quoted by the Daily Monitor that this is in line with international best practice ‘for proof of traceability”.
“They want to know where the [meat and crop] products are coming from. They have been impounding and banning all consignments from Uganda if they find one box with issues,” Ssempijja is quoted saying.
“Farmers will be registered and their products given barcodes so that if they find a problem with one box, they look for the source and sort out the problem. We cannot enter lucrative markets unless farmers register.”
According to Mr Ssempijja, an audit team from the European Union is expected in Uganda in September to ensure that all farmers producing commodities destined for Europe are registered.
The agricultural sector is dominant in Uganda’s economy. Whilst this sector grew at an annual average of only 3.7 percent over 1990-99 compared to the far more impressive growth of the industrial and service sectors, the importance of agriculture in Uganda’s economy outweighs all other sectors put together.
Source: Daily Monitor /Additional Reporting by AllNetAfrica
