Hunger costs Uganda $899 million a year

By Charles Kazooba

Hunger costs Uganda $899 million a year, equivalent to 5 percent of its gross domestic product, due to ill health and productivity losses, a government study released on June 17 said.

The study is part of an international push to raise the profile of malnutrition, which affects one in three children in developing countries.

While many people are aware of extreme hunger crises - when people starve because they do not get enough food - there has been less focus on the bigger crisis of malnutrition, when children do not get enough of the right sort of food.

An extreme form of malnourishment, stunting, affects 165 million children worldwide. Stunting means they are short for their age and face a future of ill health, poor performance in school, low earnings and early death. It occurs because children miss out on critical nutrients, such as proteins, vitamins and minerals, while in the womb or during the first five years of life.

The Uganda study, called "The Cost of Hunger in Africa", is the first of 12 being carried out across the continent to show the economic, as well as health, impacts of malnutrition.

The Uganda study found that treatment for medical conditions associated with malnutrition, such as diarrhoea, anaemia and respiratory infections cost the country $254 million.

Losses in productivity among workers due to lower educational levels cost $317 million. Childhood mortality linked to malnutrition cost an additional $317 million because these deaths reduced the country's labour force by 3.8 percent.

"These are extremely worrying findings," Ugandan Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi said in a statement, adding that the government needed to invest in nutrition policies to improve children's diets.

Later this month, Egypt and Ethiopia will release their studies, which are being supported by the World Food Programme, the African Union and the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa. Findings from Swaziland, Kenya, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Malawi, Botswana, Ghana and Mauritania will follow.

The Lancet medical journal found that nearly half of all deaths among under fives - 3.1 million deaths a year - are caused by malnutrition.

A coalition of British non-governmental organisations, under the banner Enough Food for Everyone IF, is campaigning for donors to give $1 billion a year to tackle malnutrition. Governments, businesses and civil society committed more than $4 billion at Nutrition for Growth summit in London in June.

 kazcharlie@yahoo.com

Uganda grants tender for biggest power dam to China's Sinohydro Group

By Charles Kazooba

Uganda has signed a contract granting China's Sinohydro Group Ltd. a tender to build a large hydropower dam on the Nile River at a price of $1.65 billion,  reviving a project stalled for years by a lack of money.

Construction of the 600-megawatt Karuma dam in the east African country is expected to start about two weeks after the signing of the contract.

China, which provided credit worth $500 million to help pay for construction of the Karuma dam, has rapidly expanded its investment in infrastructure all over the sub-Saharan Africa.

The project will cost $1.65 billion and will entail both developing the dam and a transmission line to evacuate the power from the generation site to the distribution network.

At the signing ceremony, Synohydro was represented by the company's Chairman, Mr. Zhang Yunli while the government was represented by the Attorney General, Peter Nyombi and Energy Minister, Irene Muloni.

Uganda is banking on Karuma to generate cheap, sufficient power to meet fast-growing energy needs and support an economy eyeing double-digit growth rates once crude oil production starts as anticipated in 2017.

The deal comes after President Museveni held talks with China’s President Xi Jinping, in Durban, South Africa, during the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit early this year. The two agreed to quickly come up with a solution for Karuma dam construction, after the procurement process for a contractor had been mired in endless controversy.

Earlier, Three Gorges Corporation, which fronted China International Water and Electric Corporation, appeared to have won the bid to build the Karuma dam. However, several battles in and out of court ensued, with bidding companies accusing each other of flouting procurement rules.

In November 2012, High Court judge Eldad Mwangusya ruled that the bids should be re-evaluated after a successful application for judicial review by one of the bidders, Salini SpA. The firm claimed it had been unfairly dropped from the bidding process as the ministry favoured two firms, CWE (Chinese) and Iran’s Perlite Construction Corporation.

Later on, the Inspector General of Government also intervened and stopped the award of the contract until all the procurement rules had been followed. The government now appears to have sidestepped all this by engaging in a bilateral arrangement with the Chinese government to expedite the project. Sinohydro will build the dam at a cost of $1.65bn. 

kazcharlie@yahoo.com

Ugandan scientist harassed over anti GMO sentiments

By Charles Kazooba

A renowned anti-GMO Ugandan scientist claims he has been threatened with sacking from his post at Makerere University in Uganda.

A very controversial critic of Genetically Modified Organisms technology, Dr Giregon Olupot from the department of Agricultural production Makerere University, known for opposing Uganda’s draft law on biotechnology claiming it doesn’t favour farmers, claims Uganda National Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium, which advocates for proper use of biotechnology, is witch-hunting him.

Many pro-GMO Bill accuse the scientist claiming that those who drafted the bill were compromised by foreign forces who allegedly have interest in introducing genetically modified organisms in Uganda.

“I am under a lot of pressure because of my (radical) views. I have been warned not to talk about this subject (GMOs) anymore unless permitted,” Dr Olupot told legislators on the committee of the East African Legislative Assembly on Agriculture Tourism and Natural Resources.

The Uganda National Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium has also reportedly written a “harassment letter” to Olupot although the contents of the letter are still unknown.

Dr Giregon, while making a presentation on a petition to EALA to create favorable legal framework in East Africa on GMOs, said the Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium had made his life difficult. About 60 Civil Society Organizations under their umbrella body – Food Rights Alliance – have petitioned the regional parliament to enact a law that accommodates interests of the indigenous while using the GM technology.

The Biotechnology and Biosafety Consortium, launched on September 2, 2011, is a coalition of different stakeholders ranging from policy makers, scientists, private sector leaders, civil society organisation leaders and government officers in their individual capacities as well as stakeholder agencies both public and private unified for a common cause of advancing the role of biotechnology in improving livelihoods of the people in Uganda.

After several years of consultations and public engagement on matters of biotechnology and biosafety at individual level, interested stakeholders eventually decided to form a unifying body that is anticipated to help raise their voices.

The consortium’s main focus in the short term is to strategically engage government to table for enactment, the National Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill.

The consortium plans to use diplomatic means as well as comprehensive public awareness and engagement so that the importance and contribution of biotechnology and biosafety for national development can be clearly understood and provided for in country’s the development agenda.

But it appears Dr Olupot’s conduct and controversial views on GMOs are based on myths contrary to what science dictates.

For instance, Dr Olupot has been going around the country telling the public that consumption of GMO products would shorten male sexual organs and cause breast cancer in women.

kazcharlie@yahoo.com

UK invests in six super crops to help beat global hunger

By Charles Kazooba

The UK government granted £30 million to HarvestPlus to develop and deliver six nutritious crops to several million farming households in Africa and Asia.

Six nutritious crops are now being developed through the use of conventional breeding methods: vitamin A-rich cassava and maize, iron-rich beans and pearl millet, and zinc-rich wheat and rice.

The first three crops are targeted to Africa and the rest to South Asia. In 2012, new varieties of the first four crops were launched, with wheat and rice expected to follow this year.

While it takes time to produce the amount of seed necessary to meet demand, up to half a million farmers will be growing these nutritious crops by year end.

HarvestPlus is now poised to get these crops into the hands of millions more farmers in Africa and Asia over the next five years, working through partnerships with both the public and private sector.

Two HarvestPlus partner seed companies signed on to the 'Global Nutrition for Growth Compact' launched at the UK event, making a firm commitment to improving nutrition through their seed lines. These companies were Nirmal Seeds (India), which produces iron-rich pearl millet, and Seed Co (Zambia), which produces vitamin A-rich maize.

"Our sweet spot is reaching rural farming communities, who still suffer the most from poor nutrition," said Dr. Howarth Bouis, Director of HarvestPlus.

"Most of them are farmers who rely heavily on staple food crops to feed their families. The seed sector has a crucial role to play in getting nutritious seeds that are also high-yielding to farmers. In many cases, farmers can also save and share their seeds, or stem cuttings, with other famers in their social networks. Our experience shows that this informal diffusion can really help to spread these crops far and wide."

HarvestPlus will also conduct more research to demonstrate how these new food crops can improve nutrition when eaten, especially for women and children, and in a cost-effective manner.

Nigeria, Rwanda, India and other countries are beginning to incorporate this new food-based approach into their overall strategies for improving nutrition. As more evidence is generated, more countries are likely to follow suit.

The UK has supported HarvestPlus, an international program of CGIAR, since its start in 2003. HarvestPlus leads a global effort to improve nutrition and public health by developing and disseminating staple food crops that are rich in vitamin A, zinc, and iron.

More than 2 billion people worldwide do not get enough of these crucial nutrients in their diets.

HarvestPlus is pioneering an approach to improve nutrition by directly increasing the amounts of nutrients in seeds through plant breeding. Farmers plant these seeds and reap a healthier harvest, often providing more than half of the daily dose of vitamins and minerals needed by their families.

The first nutritious crop, developed by African scientists and released in partnership with the Internal Potato Center (CIP), was the orange sweet potato, which has been effective in providing up to 100 per cent of daily vitamin A needs for young children. 

kazcharlie@yahoo.com

Uganda shunned by flower investors

By Charles Kazooba

For the last eight years Uganda has not attracted any investors in the flowers industry, a sign that the sector is not doing well and in dire need of government intervention.

Worse still seven flower farms closed down due to the global economic downturn leaving the country with only 15 farms with 250 hectares production area.

Yet export of flowers brings into the country’s economy $20m through taxes, wages and infrastructure development.

Compared to Ethiopia, a recent entrant in the industry, over 1000 hectares have been farmed for flowers while Uganda still farms 250 hectares for the last two decades inspite of subsidies provided by government like a 10-year tax holiday, land lease at nominal rates with green house infrastructure, 70 per cent investment loans at six per cent interest rate and subsidized air freight.

Juliet Musoke, the Chairman, Uganda Flower Exporters’ Association, attributed Uganda’s poor performance to absence of an industry’s specific investment incentive package to attract local and foreign, affordable and long-term finance, high air freight rates at the lowest $2.15 per kilo and at the highest $2.40 per kilo and cold storage facilities at Entebbe International Airport.

The others are insufficient freight volumes, affordable and unencumbered land for new investment and high royalty fees on planting material and product when selling.

Uganda’s flower industry is further hindered by lack of breeding companies that may be instrumental in lowering the cost of planting material. Planting materials are secured from breeders in Kenya for roses as well as Europe and the United States.

In 2012, Ms Juliet Musoke said the country earned $32.13 million from its flower exports compared with $30.6 million earned in 2011.

The country’s flower exports volume also reportedly increased from the 5,765 tonnes in 2011 to 6,500 tonnes this year.

Yet Kenya, with 500 hectares of lowers, exported 109,950 tonnes of flowers in 2011, down 9.3 per cent from a year earlier. Flowers earned the country Ksh30.6 billion ($349.5 million) in 2010.

Can change of agriculture policies make Uganda an export power house?

By Charles Kazooba

A close analysis of the agriculture sector in Uganda indicates declining exports despite the East African country having the greatest potential and comparative advantage to produce and export agricultural commodities.

Uganda is at the verge of losing its status as a food-producing superpower in the region and needs a drastic overhaul of its agricultural policy if it hopes to compete in the East African markets and feed more of its own people.

The argument is that the existing policies have not specifically focused on increasing investments to increase agricultural exports.

For instance, the current five-year Agriculture Sector Development Strategy and Investment Plan (DSIP) does not provide a clear investment plan to target and increase production and export of agricultural commodities.

The share of primary agricultural commodity exports in total exports is declining—from 61 per cent in 2005 to 46 per cent in 2008.

Therefore to increase the share of agricultural exports in total share, there is need for increased investment in the sector by both private and public, which calls for gross overhaul of Uganda’s policies on agriculture.

The Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), a local think tank, says Uganda needs to prioritize agriculture production for exports basing on lessons learned from some countries in South East Asia as Malaysia and South Korea.

“These countries transformed agriculture because of a strong focus on exports. Indeed, the policy of increasing household incomes can be sustainably possible when agriculture production is for exports,” said Lawrence Bategeka, a Principal Fellow at EPRC.

Bategeka said two major strategies-Plans for Modernization of Agriculture and its successor, Agriculture Development Investment Strategy (DSIP), which were couched within the framework of liberalization-should be disbanded.

“We argue that the DISP did not explicitly prioritize production for exports,” he said, “Key proposals in the DISP like zoning and support to the commodities have hardly been implemented beyond the situation that obtained prior to the DISP coming on board.”

The researcher notes that although Uganda’s agricultural exports both to the European and neighbouring markets were on the rise there was no sustainable flow because of market failure.

“Fish and cut-flower exports were destined to the European markets. Here the problem was not narrowness of the export markets but inadequate support to the producers of the commodities,” he revealed.

Bategeka has proposed that government refocuses its energies on exports like coffee from which the country earns about $400m and could increase to $1.2bn in the next four years.

He said: “For example, foreign firms are now engaging in coffee production in Uganda, especially Arabica, to take advantage of the high profit margins. The state should help Ugandan small scale peasant coffee producers by directing and assisting them in coffee production.”

To reinforce Bategeka’s argument, his colleague, a fellow researcher, Dr Geofrey Okoboi, said Uganda needs to focus on only two commodities for maximum investment and gains.

“Government should first of all invest in the design of an elaborate strategic investment plan to expeditiously promote the production and export to just one or two commodities,” said Dr Okoboi.