Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Parliamentary Budget Committee has recommended for the allocation of money to capitalise Uganda Development Bank-UDB. UDB is a public enterprise wholly owned by the Government. It is a Development Finance Institution that is focused on accelerating socio-economic development through sustainable financial interventions in …
Read More »Gov’t, FAO give ugx 800 million to fishing communities
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and the Food and Agricultural Organisation-FAO have unveiled a UGX 834 Million Shillings joint project to support fishing communities around Lake Victoria. The two-year project, launched in Masaka on Wednesday, aims at improving the livelihoods of fishing …
Read More »Agriculture committee plans meeting with President over sector concerns
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament’s Agriculture Committee is planning a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni to deliberate and forge a way forward on a range of critical issues, which they say are holding back the fortunes of the sector and hindering the country’s economic growth. Speaking recently at …
Read More »Human diet causing ‘catastrophic’ damage to planet: study
Paris, France | AFP | The way humanity produces and eats food must radically change to avoid millions of deaths and “catastrophic” damage to the planet, according to a landmark study published Thursday. The key to both goals is a dramatic shift in the global diet — roughly half as …
Read More »Scientists boost plant yield by 40% through ‘genetic hack’
Washington, United States | AFP | For years, researchers at the University of Illinois have been trying to find out whether it is possible to genetically modify a crop to boost its growth. In results published in Science on Thursday, they confirmed they had been successful in making tobacco plants …
Read More »Libya’s ‘green gold’ olive industry hit by export ban
Tarhuna, Libya | AFP | Stretching as far as the eye can see, groves of gnarled olive trees in northwest Libya have proudly withstood the country’s devastating conflicts. But the industry of extracting olive oil, often dubbed “green gold”, is now under threat after Libyan authorities halted exports in a …
Read More »McDonald’s unveils plan for cutting antibiotics in beef
New York, United States | AFP | McDonald’s announced a plan early this month for a phased reduction of antibiotics in beef, expanding a health-oriented reform to a new meat source other than chicken. The fast-food giant described a three-stage process where it would first undertake a study of its …
Read More »‘Green fuel’: Bananas to help wean Angola off oil
Caxito, Angola | AFP | Boxes of still-green bananas were shifted one-by-one from a towering stack of crates into a refrigerated shipping container. Stamped “From Angola, with love”, the fruit is shipped to consumers 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles) away and are part of Luanda’s drive to diversify its economy …
Read More »How Uganda’s agriculture and food system can create jobs
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Agriculture can provide jobs to Uganda’s unemployed youth if well harnessed, according to the twelfth Uganda Economic Update published this week by the World Bank. According to a World Bank statement, the report, “Developing Uganda’s Agri-Food System for Inclusive Economic Growth,” notes that the …
Read More »Tanzania president orders army to buy nuts
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzanian President John Magufuli has ordered the army to buy up the entire country’s crop of cashew nuts after private companies refused to pay the price fixed by his government. The move comes just days after Magufuli fired Agriculture Minister Charles Tizeba and Trade Minister …
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