Uganda pig value chain partnership with private sector

14-15 February 2014. A two-day training was organized by the Pig Production and Marketing Ltd Uganda, to chart the way forward on how to develop the pig industry.

The seminar, which was organized by Pig Production and Marketing Ltd Uganda, was to train farmers in the modern methods of pig farming. It was also to enable them transform from engaging in subsistence to profitable commercial farming systems.

Christopher Mulindwa, the production manager at Pig Production and Marketing Uganda Ltd. noted that the interaction between various actors in the value chain has been limited causing the farmers to sell to exploitative markets, buy counterfeit inputs and have limited access to finance and extension services. 

• Mulindwa also shared the experiences of his enterprise with participants from Africa, South Asia and Europe, during the Livestock and Fish Value Chains Tools Conference organized by ILRI, and held in Kampala in September 2013. He recently won the ‘The GrowthHub’s 2014 Agribusiness Innovation Incubator’ prize with the support of several ILRI colleagues.
• Interactions between Mulindwa and the ILRI Uganda team began in 2012 with deliberations on how Pig Production and Marketing Uganda Ltd could partner with ILRI projects in Uganda. ILRI has been providing technical support and information that would make the enterprise even more effective. 
• Through the enterprise, ILRI has been able to spread out its research outputs to many actors in the pig value chain –including medium size pig farmers, who are not the direct beneficiaries of the project- and offer advice on good farming practices. This kind of partnership is making great contributions towards the value chain approach focus of the Livestock and Fish program that seeks to engage with different partners along the entire value chain.

Danilo Pezo, the ILRI/Uganda value chain country coordinator and coordinator of the Smallholder Pig Value Chains Development (SPVCD) project gave the opening speech for the two-day training. Kristina Roesel, coordinator of the Safe Food Fair Food project conducted a training session on breaking the tape worm cycle at the same event.