By Our Reporters
Until recently, MAAIF Minister Vincent Sempijja and State Minister Joy Kabatsi (Animal husbandry) weren’t on good talking terms. This was because of activities of the mafia clique whose members were interested in maintaining grip on the billions annually allocated for the operations of NAGRC (aka genetic center), a government entity charged with livestock breeding and management of state owned stock farms. The two Ministers were led to clash on the recruitment of new NAGRC ED (replacing the inept Daniel Semambo), a job that went to youthful Dr. Charles Lagul, a PhD graduate from Mak Veterinary College. As has been seen at the many stakeholders meetings (NAGRC has been organizing to get cattle farmers’ feedback on how to revive the sector), its apparent Dr. Lagul’s ground-shattering reforms are beginning to positively impact on NAGRC service delivery. “At least communication channels between grass root and NAGRC, which had been blocked, are now open and the entity runs on corporate governance principles which donors have reciprocated by generously returning to support the livestock sector,” a cattle farmer remarked to scribes during the last week Imperial Royale meeting Kabatsi convened to sensitize them on how to overcome drug-resistant ticks, the foot and mouth disease and increasing beef production for export to bring in the badly needed forex.
HOW LAGUL CHANGED THINGS;
Lagul, who first became ED in October 2017, has accomplished many things including carefully ensuring his two ministers closely work together and this was clearly evident last week as Sempijja struggled through Entebbe road jam and came to close Kabatsi’s meeting. The two cracked jokes and their body language manifested unanimity in where they want the sector to go. Lagul has revamped previously dilapidated NAGRC farms and spearheaded Artificial Insemination (AI) programs as part of the entity’s core mandates. He has put breeding infrastructure were none existed. The NAGRC data bank is functional once again. What began as a rural poultry development program to produce kuroiler chickens had been run down and employees took 12 months without pay as Lagul’s predecessors consolidated personal rule. The most notorious newspaper scandal related to Shs5bn being spent to purchase just 4 bulls from South Africa. Such scams resulted from a scandalous top management whose actions were being aided by powerful technocrats at MAAIF some whom have since retired. In Lagul’s just one year there has been revival and farmers are hopeful of a better future. Lagul has put in place the 2016-2020 strategic plan clearly focussing on turning NAGRC into ‘a leader in profitable production and efficient delivery of animal genetic resources and services in Eastern and Central Africa.” Emphasis is also on “establishing a comprehensive and sustainable National Animal Breeding Programme which meets the commercial and developmental interests of the actors along the livestock sub-sector value chains.” The key areas of concern are: enhancing Animal Genetics to increase animal production and productivity, conserving biodiversity, sustainable utilization of indigenous animal genetic resources and strengthening institutional capacity. Lagul has prioritized client oriented services, collaborations and entrepreneurship approaches. Development of a national animal information resource and development centre too has consumed his time.
STAFF MOTIVATION;
He has also invested in staff motivation to levels none ever imagined. Employees have been trained including 3 recently sent to South Africa to train with The Vriest Laboratorium for the badly needed multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (MOET) technology skills and vitro fertilization. Others have been to Kenya and Sweden for capacity building programs. Support staff too haven’t been sidelined. They have undergone retraining to fit serving in a 21st century organization. Staff salaries have been enhanced and arrears paid leading to more motivation. They have also been availed protective clothing which wasn’t in place. Better transport facilities are now in place to help staff undertake field-related works and community service. Health insurance schemes have been introduced for the first time at NAGRC. Stakeholder engagements have been intensified deliberately reaching out to potential partners like the media and CSOs. Service providers are more effective and prompt because of prompt payment for whatever they supply. In the past they took NAGRC to court for unpaid arrears and there was nothing to attach. The sourcing methods have become open and transparent like never before. All these changes have enabled fast delivery of breeding services to farmers and other value chain actors. Quality breeding service infrastructure too has been worked on and this is evidence at centers like Lusenke, Ruhengyere, Nshaara and headquarters where water reticulation, offices, hay burns, spray and hostel facilities for AI training have all been revamped. High-grade bulldozers for bush clearing, heavy duty tractors, ploughs, harrows, hay balers, planters for pasture and fodder improvement on the ranches have been newly acquired to support improved nutrition and dry season feeding by making silage. Farmers have been assisted to use these equipment to improve feeds for their animals. Bush clearing has routinely been carried out at GoU ranches which had become wastelands. They have also been fenced and paddocked best examples being Nshaara, Ruhengyere, Maruzi, Aswa and Kasolwe. These improvements have supported better breeding of high quality animals for farmers. Encroachment on government farms has been fought and land grabbing enabling farmers to carry out breeding in a coordinated way. Theft of GoU animals (cattle, calves and goats) which had become rampant, has been diminished through comprehensive security measures Lagul has put in place. There is regular surveillance and efficient recording systems. Lagul has been very uncompromising on employees who connive in theft practices. Consequently, animal numbers on GoU farms have drastically increased for both cattle and goats. Mortalities have significantly been reduced and cattle, goats, pigs and Kuroiler populations have been gowning. Management practices like routine vaccinations, deworming and drugs’ availability have all been undertaken regularly. NAGRC now has over 10,000 heads of cattle across the different farms and ranches. Indigenous breeds too have been conserved. Examples include long horned Ankole cattle, East African shorthorn cattle, Mubende Goats and the Small East African Goats that continue to strictly be conserved at Nshaara, Ruhengyere, Lusenke and Kasolwe ranches. Collaborations have been deepened with Mak, MUST, Kyambogo, Gulu, Busitema, Bishop Stuart and Muni University. Similar relations exist with training institutions like Kyera, Bukalasa, Arapai and farm schools. Regionally, NAGRC has networked with Heifer international, ASARECA, AU-IBAR, EAC, FAO, Italian Breeders Association, CEVA- France, Mississippi State University, EU, JICA and South Korea. Community breeding programs have been revitalized to promote artificial insemination services. Many stakeholders meetings have been held in Kampala and countryside. Cabinet political support, mobilized by Kabatsi and Sempijja, has also increased largely because of the new leadership. Organizations like UNFFE, DAFAN, LDF and others are all once again on board through outreach programs. At the recent AU IBAR meeting in Nairobi, Lagul eloquently marketed Uganda and members were moved to let NAGRC host AU regional Genebank in Entebbe. The gene bank will be for cryo preservation of animal indigenous genetic resources for Uganda and more than 10 other countries. Production of bankable project proposals has also been prioritized to increase revenue generation for NAGRC. Bodies like NAADS, DDA, OWC, and COCTU have been reach to build synergy in breeding programs. Just last month, GoU took note of Lagul’s reforms and declared NAGRC 2018’s best animal agency. Lagul’s focus now is staff capacity building to implement genetic improvement programs & adequately responding to challenges like FMD and arcaricides-resistant ticks. Other areas are innovations in areas like nanotechnologies in reproductive biotechnologies and mainstreaming climate change mitigation measures.
