ONC’s Namyalo: Farmers Cannot Transform Their Households Without Affordable Inputs

By Swift Reporter

The Office of the National Chairman (ONC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has launched a nationwide agricultural campaign aimed at improving farmers’ access to affordable and quality planting materials as part of efforts to accelerate household income generation and Uganda’s economic transformation.

Dubbed “Boosting Macro-Micro Agriculture and Processing,” the campaign is being spearheaded by ONC Manager and Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, and will focus on challenges affecting farmers, including access to seedlings, agricultural financing, extension services, markets and value addition.

In a statement issued on Monday, August 24, 2026, the ONC said farmers, community leaders, farmer groups and grassroots coordinators across the country had raised concerns over the rising cost and limited availability of quality agricultural inputs, particularly coffee seedlings.

The office warned that high input costs could undermine government efforts to move 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.

Hajjat Namyalo, while addressing the concerns, questioned how farmers could be expected to embrace agricultural programmes such as the four-acre model when they cannot easily access the seeds and seedlings required to implement them.

“We are talking about planting, but what are we going to plant with?” she asked.

The ONC said its concerns are intended to strengthen, rather than undermine, existing government programmes, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM), which was introduced to help households transition from subsistence production into the money economy.

According to the office, access to productive financing alone may not be sufficient if beneficiaries cannot afford the inputs needed to establish viable agricultural enterprises.

For instance, a farmer seeking to establish a coffee plantation must meet the cost of seedlings, land preparation, manure or fertiliser, labour and transport before the crop begins generating income.

The ONC said such costs can force farmers to reduce the size of their enterprises or abandon planned investments altogether.

It has therefore called for a review of Uganda’s agricultural input support framework, with emphasis on affordability, quality, timely distribution and geographical suitability.

The office wants Government to strengthen strategic distribution of agricultural inputs while addressing weaknesses experienced under previous programmes.

It also wants agricultural interventions to be tailored to Uganda’s different climatic and agro-ecological zones rather than applying a uniform approach across the country.

The ONC said crops promoted in coffee-growing areas of Central and Western Uganda may not necessarily be suitable for the cattle corridor, northern or eastern regions.

It is consequently calling for science-based planning that considers the crops suitable for each area, soil and climatic conditions, certified planting materials, planting seasons and farmers’ production capacity.

The office also proposed stronger monitoring systems to ensure that inputs reach intended beneficiaries and are not diverted along the distribution chain.

It called for closer coordination between national government agencies, local governments, agricultural extension workers, farmer organisations and communities.

The ONC further raised concern that some PDM beneficiaries may struggle to use productive financing for its intended purpose because of pressing household needs such as school fees, food and other basic expenses.

It said this should not simply be viewed as a failure by individual beneficiaries, but as an indication that the broader support system around PDM requires strengthening.

The office argued that financing should be complemented by affordable inputs, extension services and reliable markets to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable enterprises and generate income.

The ONC said agricultural production must also be linked to processing and value addition if farmers are to derive greater economic benefits from their output.

Hajjat Namyalo warned that inadequate agricultural production could have consequences beyond individual farmers, affecting food security, household incomes, employment, industrial raw materials and export earnings.

She also called for greater investment in irrigation and climate-smart agriculture to reduce farmers’ dependence on increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns.

“We always blame climate change. We have to be prepared and do proper irrigation,” she said.

The ONC particularly highlighted coffee because of its importance to Uganda’s export earnings, arguing that efforts to expand production must be matched with adequate supplies of quality and affordable seedlings.

The office also stressed the importance of certified planting materials, citing the National Coffee Act, 2021, which provides for the licensing and regulation of coffee nursery operators and requires farmers to obtain planting materials from certified operators.

Beyond coffee, the campaign will also advocate for support for other crops suited to different parts of the country, including maize, beans and cassava, alongside increased investment in processing and value addition.

Hajjat Namyalo said Uganda must first strengthen its productive capacity if it is to maximise opportunities arising from regional integration and expanding markets.

“What are we going to integrate?” she asked, emphasising the need to increase domestic production before fully exploiting regional markets.

The ONC said its campaign is anchored in Uganda’s broader policy and legal framework, including the constitutional obligation to promote agricultural development and the PDM framework, which identifies agricultural value-chain development as a key area of intervention.

The office called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Local Government, local governments and other relevant institutions to review the current input support system and respond to concerns raised by farmers.

It said the goal should not simply be to distribute seedlings, but to create conditions in which farmers can afford to plant, maintain and eventually harvest productive crops.

The ONC said improving access to affordable, quality and climate-suitable agricultural inputs would strengthen household incomes, increase productivity, support the objectives of PDM and contribute to Uganda’s export growth and wider economic transformation.

“Uganda’s farmers are ready to produce. They need an enabling environment that makes production economically possible,” the office said.