NEWS

Unchecked trade in fake agro inputs

blamed for low yields, poor profits
IN SUMMARY

Uganda relies on Control of Agro-Chemical Act, Seed and Plant Act and Plant Protection Act of 1962 with little effect on
counterfeits.

For 12 years, Arthur Nsubuga was a successful poultry farmer in Mukono District, 25 kilometres east of
Kampala. But in the past one year, he has seen a reversal of fortunes, suffering a sudden dip in
production.
Whereas he could previously achieve a laying rate as high as 96 per cent in birds aged between 33 and 44
weeks, he recorded between 65-70 per cent last year.
Mr Nsubuga blames his and other farmers woes on the proliferation of counterfeit feeds and other agroinputs in the Ugandan market.
When we carried out an analysis of the feeds, we discovered that it contained only 20 per cent of the
nutrients required for the birds. At the same time, some birds were dying even when we had vaccinated
them at the right age, Mr Nsubuga said.
According to the International Fertiliser Development Centre, counterfeit agriculture inputs currently
account for 30 per cent of agro sales in sub-Saharan Africa, where law enforcement agencies, ministries
of agriculture and the private sector have not made any headway in combating the vice.
Dr Grace Abalo, the national project co-ordinator for Uganda for the Water Efficient Maize for Africa
under the Nairobi-based African Agricultural
Technologies, said that counterfeit farm inputs such as seeds have been exacerbated by seed companies
that have mastered the art of supplying grain to farmers instead of seeds resulting in poor yields or not
germinating at all, a claim seed companies deny.

We have been taking our own measures like random inspection of our seed dealers to ensure that the
seeds in their stocks are of good quality to our farmers. We are planning to start using e-verification
technology next year to identify genuine and counterfeit seeds, Richard Musagazi, the chairman of
Uganda Seed Traders Association told The EastAfrican.
READ: Agriculture goes high tech to fight fakes
Mr Musagazi blames the government for counterfeit farm inputs, saying it lacks staff to track down
unscrupulous traders.
This, Dr Abalo said, coupled with unpredictable weather changes have ensured that farmers have little to
eat, and discourages the population from commercial farming.
Statistics from Ugandas Ministry of Agriculture, Animal, Industry and Fisheries shows that the countrys
demand for seeds stands at 35,000 tonnes but the 25 seed companies produce only 12,000 tonnes of seeds,
with maize accounting for over 60 per cent.
This has left majority of the farmers to rely on seeds carried forward from the previous seasons or traded
informally for fear of purchasing counterfeits, even as such seeds generally produce far lower yields than
genuine high yield hybrids.
Incidence of counterfeit agro-chemicals have remained high, at 40 per cent, for the agro-chemical imports
in Uganda and Tanzania and between 15-20 per cent in Kenya, according to CropLife Uganda, an
association of agro-chemical importers.
These counterfeits are costing farmers billions of shillings in losses, said Crop Life Uganda chief
executive Betty Atto.
According to Ugandas National Budget 2014/15, the countrys agriculture sector employs 70 per cent of
the estimated 34 million people but contributes about 21 per cent to the gross domestic product, with its
annual growth figure stagnated at three per cent for the past two years.
Ugandas former agriculture minister Victoria Sekitoleko now wants relevant laws currently pending in
parliament passed so as to streamline the sector to make it more productive to address issues of food
security and source of livelihood.
What this country needs now is to pass those laws in line with the agriculture sector, Ms. Ssekitoleko
said.

For example, the Plant Protection and Health Bill 2010 that was tabled by then agriculture minister Hope
Mwesigye, is still pending in parliament.
The Bill covers phytosanitary issues, seed health analysis, disease and pest surveillance, quarantine
issues, and the movement of seed and planting materials.
The Biotechnology and Biosafety Bill 2010, which aims at regulating and controlling the application of
biotechnology products (including transborder movement of germplasm), ensure value for money, and
improve biosafety for people and the environment is still before parliament. The National Biotechnology
and Biosafety Policy was approved and adopted by the Cabinet in April 2008.
Currently Uganda relies on three laws Control of Agro-Chemical Act 2006, Seed and Plant Act of
2006 and Plant Protection Act of 1962 with little effect on counterfeits.
Whereas the Seed and Plant Act 2006 stipulates that a person selling a substandard or fake seed commits
an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding Ush500,000 ($190) or imprisonment for a term not
exceeding four years or both, the Plant Protection Act of 1962 imposes Ush2,000 ($0.76) as fine for
selling counterfeit seeds.
On the other hand, the Control of Agro-Chemical Act 2006 deals more on regulating sale of agriculture
chemicals but is silent on penalties.
This has encouraged unscrupulous traders to involve in selling counterfeit farm inputs because the
penalties are low once convicted in courts of law, Dr. Fred Mukulu, the Mukono District production and
marketing officer said.
Were proposing that some fines should be custodial; somebody must be jailed for one year or a high
fine of more than Ush2 million ($755) to deter traders from selling counterfeits to farmers, Dr Mukulu
said.
Ms Sylvia Kirabo, the spokesperson for the Uganda Bureau of Standards told The EastAfrican that
fighting counterfeits in the agriculture sector lies with the ministry.
Our work as UNBS is to develop standards to be enforced by the line ministries in this case,
Agriculture Ministry, Ms. Kirabo said.

Ms Kirabo said UNBS is only fighting counterfeit fertilisers that enter the country through their Preinspection Verification of Conformity programme.
Ministry of Agriculture spokesperson Connie Achayo argued that it is the responsibility of every
stakeholder in the sector to fight the vice.
I also admit that we are very thin on the ground but the farmers rarely report to us on where they bought
counterfeit seeds, chemicals, and this makes our work difficult, Ms Achayo said.
However, things are looking up with the government recruting more people to inspect seed producers.
We have recruited 23 people to deal with the inspection and certification of seeds. We are soon going to
attach at least one person to each seed producing company to monitor their seed trade, from their farms to
the market, said Dr Robert Karyeija, commissioner in charge of seed inspection and certification in the
Ministry of Agriculture.
Dr Karyeija said whereas the ministry is also in talks with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to establish an
agriculture police responsible for arresting those involved in selling counterfeit seeds, it also plans to relicence all the seed companies as a measure to streamline the seed sector.