This archive report was first published on 17 July 2019.
On July 16, 2019, the Ugandan government announced plans to register all farmers and their cows for traceability of their products and to enable them benefit from the international market.
The Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Vincent Ssempijja, emphasized the importance of traceability in accessing the European market, stating that the international market demands that all countries producing foodstuff and crops for the European market produce traceability.
‘‘They want to know where the products are coming from; they have been impounding and banning all consignments from Uganda if they find one box with issues,” Ssempijja said.
As part of the registration process, farmers will be given barcodes for their products, and cows will be registered, numbered, and issued birth certificates. This is to ensure that meat from cows aged between 15 to 24 months is sold, as demanded by importers.
According to Ssempijja, an audit team from the European Union is expected in Uganda in September 2019 to ensure that all farmers producing commodities destined for Europe are registered.
President Museveni emphasized the need for Ugandans to be more competitive in order to effectively and sustainably penetrate the international market, stating that registering farmers is a major requirement.
