The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, delivered a message at the official opening of the 31st National Agricultural Show, represented by the Commissioner Crop Inspection and Certification at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal, Industry, and Fisheries, Paul Mwambu on June 1, 2025 at the Jinja show grounds.
(Courtesy Image)
In his speech, the President congratulated the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and the Uganda National Farmers’ Federation for successfully organising the National Agricultural show.
He noted the importance of involving the youth in agriculture, saying, “I am happy that this year’s agricultural show is particularly targeting the youth in and out of school. This will help to address the question of agriculture being unattractive to the youth who form the biggest percentage of the country’s workforce.”
The President urged the Ministry of Education and Sports to collaborate with the Uganda National Farmers’ Federation and the Ministry of Agriculture to mobilise the youth to embrace commercial agriculture.
He also emphasized the importance of guiding farmers on enterprise selection and supporting them through the Parish Development Model.
He revealed that, “Under the National Development Plan IV, the government took a decision to prioritise what is known as the ATMS. In full, these are Agriculture, Tourism, Minerals, and Services. The agricultural show is in line with the ATMS’ strategy by organising a platform that exposes farmers to new and improved agricultural technologies while helping the farmers to become more productive.”
The President highlighted the importance of disseminating innovations and technologies to farmers, saying, “I am aware that our National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) has developed many technologies to address various challenges, including challenges relating to climate change, pests, and diseases, as well as decline in soil fertility. Therefore, it is important to use such occasions to disseminate these innovations and technologies to the farmers.”
He expressed confidence in the farmers’ ability to utilise the agricultural show to improve their yields, stating, “I am confident that our farmers will resourcefully utilise the opportunity of this show to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to improve their farm yields.”
The President thanked the exhibitors, agricultural researchers, and those exhibiting machinery, saying, “I want to thank all exhibitors, agricultural researchers led by NARO, and those exhibiting machinery for use at various levels of the agricultural value chain for adhering to the call of the government for agricultural transformation.”
The President reassured the country of the government’s commitment to supporting farmers, saying, “I would like to reassure the country of the government’s commitment to support the farmers to ensure that the country is not only food secure but that we commercialise our agriculture in order to create more jobs and incomes.”
He called upon all actors to support these efforts, highlighting the enabling environment for farmers and value chain players and also inviting all farmers who had not yet visited the show to come and learn new innovations and technologies.
“I call upon all the farmers who have not yet visited the show to come and learn new innovations and technologies,” said Museveni.