Uganda sets aside sh1 billion to fight armyworm Kampala, Uganda | AFP | A plague of crop-destroying fall armyworm caterpillars has spread to East Africa where officials confirmed their presence for the first time in Uganda on Friday. An outbreak of the caterpillars in several southern African nations has already …
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Bird flu cases reported in Budaka, Kisoro districts Two more districts Budaka and Kisoro are under surveillance following reports of suspected cases of avian influenza. Scientists in the ministry of agriculture revealed that laboratory tests confirmed the presence of avian influenza -commonly known as bird flu- in samples sent from …
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Blantyre, Malawi | AFP | Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika on Wednesday fired the country’s agriculture minister who is alleged to have profited from a $35 million deal to import maize from Zambia. George Chaponda, seen as a close ally and potential successor of Mutharika, was dismissed from his post a …
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The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has urged cooperative societies to generate their own income and rely less on donations. While launching the Kibuku United Farmers’ SACCO on Saturday in Kibuku, the Oulanyah said that there was a tendency of Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizatio (SACCOs) to rely …
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Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has asked cabinet to come up with a clear policy on food storage the lack of which, she said, is the cause of the current food shortage and famine in many parts of the country. Kadaga, who was chief guest at the wedding of …
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On a South African farm, despair over attack Onderstepoort, South Africa | AFP | Peeling back the maize plant’s leaves reveals a small brown caterpillar — an armyworm that writhes as it burrows into the heart of the crop, producing a sticky dark paste. Eighty percent of the Prinsloo family’s …
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USAID’s warning system shows why you should prepare for more bad news this year On Jan. 17, the weather was extremely hot in Kampala. Godfrey Mujuni, the manager of the Data Centre at the Uganda National Meteorological Authority, says thermometer readings indicated it was 34.0ᵒC which is about six degrees …
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COMMENT: By Barbara Unmüßig Poverty, malnutrition, and hunger must be recognised as a result of politics, not scarcity The way people eat in the industrialised world is unhealthy, unjust, and unsustainable. Far too much of the meat consumed is produced under questionable ecological, ethical, and social conditions. And now that …
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Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Its lower cost has made it popular in commercial food production, but after being blamed for deforestation in Asia, palm oil plantations are now getting a similar rap in Africa. The sheer scale of land required is having an impact in Gabon, Cameroon and the …
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Festive season and prolonged drought push prices high This year’s Christmas may not be merry as many could hope as prices for specific basic commodities increases ahead of the big day, The Independents analysis shows. The price of sugar has increased from Shs 3, 200 to Shs 5,000 per kilogramme …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price