Africa-Press – Uganda. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) is planning to create a National Agricultural Information System to help farmers with knowledge in relation to weather patterns, soils, and markets and advise in modern agricultural methods to enhance efficiency.
This was revealed by the MAAIF Permanent Secretary, Maj Gen David Kasura Kyomukama, during the joint inauguration ceremony of the 13th Fisheries Training Institute (FTI) and Bukalasa Agricultural College (BAC) Governing Council held at the Fisheries Training Institute in Entebbe on Wednesday.
“When students join agricultural extension, they shouldn’t be only reliant on old manual methods, but also modern farming methods, including smart tools like tablets and various technological gadgets. However, they also need to understand that agriculture is not done in white collar shirts, but in the field,” he said.
He added: “By supporting these institutions, we are helping to restore the students’ knowledge of modern farming methods. There is also a deficit in the government extension system, so we need fisheries officers and extension workers, among others so they have opportunities. They also need to understand the mission of the agricultural production system in Uganda, which is commercialization.”
He urged the governing council to emphasise accountability and transparency, which is the connection between activity and expenditure.
The Principal of Bukalasa Agricultural College, Mr Gelvan Kisolo Lule welcomed the new governing council and noted that the College had spent some months without a Council in place.
“This will now help us to handle some of the pending decisions for implementation,” he said, adding: “These days the College focuses more on ensuring that the people we train have more skills than just the academic papers.”
The Principal of the Fisheries Training Institute, Mr Willy Ofono Osinde said: “We focus more on practical training sessions than theory, and are now planning to refurbish the Fish Processing Laboratory, which not only brings in income for the institution but also provides students with more relevance in the market.”
The inaugurated Governing Councils comprise of 16 members each.
For More News And Analysis About Uganda Follow Africa-Press
