Ugandan farmers are at risk of losing billions of shillings in earnings as the country comes to terms with the outbreak of bird flu and swine flu.
The outbreaks were confirmed in Entebbe, Kalangala, and Masaka recently. This comes hardly three years after farmers lost their market in South Sudan due to civil unrest in the world’s youngest nation.
Already, Kenya and Rwanda have banned imports of poultry products from Uganda following an outbreak of avian influenza. Kenyan agriculture cabinet secretary Willy Bett said this week that the government had taken adequate measures to “secure the country from the viral infection,” reported Nairobi-based Daily Nation.
Uganda said in a statement that “the very serious disease Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) affects both humans and animals and causes a high number of deaths in both species.”
The ban comes at a time when companies such as Biyizinka Poultry International Ltd are looking to expand their international presence after acquiring certification that gives their products a clean bill of health.
The company noted in September las year that being the only company with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point license/ certificate, which is issued by the Uganda National Bureau of Standard, it hoped “to expand our potential in the global market and increase our market share in the production of poultry feeds…”
At least Shs 7bn is gotten from exports of poultry alone around the region annually, according to media reports. Pork is thought to be one of the most popular delicacies for the local market.
A ban in Kenya and Rwanda compounds an already-difficult moment, particularly from the prolonged drought that has seen most farmers lose their animals and birds. South Sudan still remains very risky for any trader.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics statistical abstract 2015, most Ugandan pigs were being exported to South Sudan. It also notes that poultry, together with cattle, have experienced the biggest numbers of growth in recent years at 2.5 per cent and about three per cent respectively between 2013 and 2014.
A cut-off from the regional market means farmers will struggle to stay in the market. Investors had started to look at Uganda as a key gateway to the region with poultry products. In 2014, YoKuku poultry farm, a Ugandan-family company owned by Hudani Manji Holdings Ltd, started a poultry firm in Nakaseke district on 64 acres of land. The company noted that it cost about $10m to put up the farm.
In 2015, South African food brands manufacturer RCL Foods acquired a 33.5% stake in Hudani Manji Holdings Ltd. Other local players like UgaChick have been looking up to the region for market expansion.
Other international franchises such as KFC have opened up shop in Uganda, offering opportunities for suppliers of chicken. Uganda has activated its emergency plan for epidemics control after confirming the diseases.
The diseases can be transmitted to human beings, causing severe respiratory infections. There are reports that people in Kalangala and Masaka were eating birds and animals suspected to have died from the deadly diseases.
amwesigwa@observer.ug