Agricultural research agency, NARO, is taking bold steps to transform the country’s farming landscape into a thriving agro-industrial hub.
In a strategic move to turn research into real-world impact, NARO is partnering with industrialists to tackle production challenges, boost productivity, and expand farmer participation in high-value chains.
Early this week, the agency kicked off visits to key agro-industrial sites, signaling a hands-on approach to linking innovation with investment and positioning Uganda as a competitive player in global agricultural markets.
Uganda’s agricultural research agency, NARO, is taking bold steps to transform the country’s farming landscape into a thriving agro-industrial hub.
Leveraging Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed with multiple sector entities, NARO is strengthening partnerships with private investors to drive productivity, value addition, and inclusive growth across key agricultural value chains.
NARO management emphasized this commitment during a business visit led by Director General Dr. Yona Baguma to Amafh Farms in Mityana District, Clarke Farm, and Njojo Agro-based Industries in Kyenjojo District.
These three large-scale agribusinesses are pioneering macadamia, coffee, and Hass avocado/maize production, respectively. The visits focused on identifying practical ways agricultural research can support private investments to overcome production challenges, boost productivity, and deepen value addition.
Positioning Macadamia as Uganda’s Next High-Value Export Crop
At Amafh Farms in Nambaale, Mityana District, the NARO team was hosted by Managing Director Morvi Asim. The 1,200-acre farm has been at the forefront of macadamia farming in Uganda since 2003, with over 700 acres currently under cultivation.
Amafh Farms grows and processes high-quality macadamia nuts for both local and international markets, integrating sustainable farming practices and innovative processing technologies along the entire value chain.
“Our vision is to transform Uganda into a leading macadamia producer,” Asim said, noting that global demand far exceeds supply. “If you have 100 tonnes, the market demands 1,000 tonnes. This is a hugely undersupplied product.”
Five years ago, Amafh launched the Macadamia Outgrower Extension Project (MOGEP), targeting the livelihoods of over 250,000 small-scale farmers nationwide.
The initial phase involves planting 25 million macadamia trees, with potential employment for more than 2.5 million people while enhancing national food security.
Currently, the program works with 25,000 farmers, providing subsidized seedlings, training, and guaranteed buy-back arrangements.
Amafh is also investing in value addition, with 12 planned macadamia-based products, including cooking oil, briquettes for green energy, honey, and bio-fertilizers.
Integrated farming practices encourage bee-keeping for pollination and honey production, while processing waste is converted into bio-fertilizer, promoting environmental sustainability.
In 2024, Amafh signed an MOU with NARO, a partnership Asim described as critical to industrial growth.
“NARO’s visit demonstrates their commitment to supporting industrialization and increasing incomes for farmers,” he said, noting the farm plans to supply 3–4 million seedlings annually.
Addressing stakeholders at Amafh Farms, Dr. Baguma highlighted macadamia’s transformative potential for Ugandan farmers. “On one acre, a farmer can plant about 100 macadamia trees.
With an average yield of 75 kilograms per tree and a farm-gate price of UGX 3,000 per kilogram, a farmer can earn up to UGX 22 million annually. Considering that macadamia trees can live over 100 years, this crop offers a lifetime of stable income.”
He added that NARO and AMAFh will jointly tackle constraints limiting productivity, such as the lack of a national seed system, sub-optimal plant populations, and emerging pests and diseases.
NARO will also support product diversification and value addition through the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NaRL) in Kawanda.
Through the National Forestry Resources Research Institute (NaFORRI), NARO plans to develop breeding programs to adapt macadamia to different agro-ecological zones, including drought-prone areas like Karamoja and West Nile.
“Macadamia thrives in sandy soils and is suitable for intercropping, enhancing both food security and farmer incomes,” Dr. Baguma noted.
“Expanding this crop to climate-vulnerable regions will boost livelihoods and contribute to climate change adaptation.” He reaffirmed NARO’s commitment to ensuring macadamia becomes a game-changer in Uganda’s fight against poverty.
Supporting Innovation in Coffee and Hass Avocado Production.
The NARO delegation also visited Clarke Farm in Katambale, Kyarusozi Sub-county, Kyenjojo District, a 2,200-acre mixed farm focused on coffee production. Currently, 750 acres are under coffee, with plans to expand to 1,200 acres within four years. Farm Manager Sylvester Kyendi described the NARO engagement as timely, particularly in developing a lowland Arabica coffee variety suitable for nontraditional areas.
“Arabica fetches premium prices globally, and we have buyers who specifically demand it,” he said.
Clarke Farm supplies coffee to the United Kingdom, the UAE, major Kampala companies, and local markets, while also providing planting materials and technical support to smallholder farmers.
At Njojo Agro-based Industries, specializing in avocado and maize processing, Dr. Baguma noted the visit followed President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s directive to use innovation as a driver of socio-economic transformation. Founder and Managing Director Rtd.
Gen. Robert Rusoke, Uganda’s Head of Mission to Rwanda, said the collaboration aligns with his vision of building agro-industrial value chains in the Rwenzori region.
Njojo is currently Uganda’s only processor of virgin Hass avocado oil. NARO and Njojo agreed to collaborate on managing pests and diseases and expanding the outgrower model to improve productivity and farmer incomes.
****URN****