ONC Urges Government To Make Farm Inputs Affordable As Seedling Costs Threaten PDM Goals

KAMPALA — The Office of the National Chairman (ONC) of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has urged the Government to review Uganda’s agricultural input support system, saying the rising cost and limited availability of quality planting materials could undermine efforts to move households from subsistence farming into the money economy.

The call was made in a statement issued on Monday, August 24, 2026, following concerns raised by farmers, farmer groups, community leaders and ONC coordinators across the country over the affordability and availability of agricultural inputs, particularly quality coffee seedlings.

The ONC said Government ministries, local authorities and other agricultural stakeholders should develop a more affordable, timely and region-specific system for supplying farmers with quality planting materials, fertilisers and other inputs because farmers cannot increase production when basic inputs remain beyond their reach.

The organisation said the matter is particularly important under the Parish Development Model (PDM), whose agricultural value-chain component is intended to help households transition from subsistence production to commercial activity and eventually participate more fully in the money economy.

“Uganda’s economic transformation agenda cannot be achieved when farmers are unable to afford the basic inputs required to produce,” the ONC said.

The organisation said Uganda’s different climatic conditions, soils and agricultural potential make it impractical to apply a uniform agricultural input distribution model across the country.

Instead, it called for a science-based approach that takes into account the crops suited to particular regions, planting seasons, availability of certified planting materials and the production capacity of farmers.

The ONC also proposed the reinstatement and strengthening of strategic distribution of agricultural seedlings and other inputs, while ensuring that lessons are drawn from weaknesses experienced under previous government programmes.

According to the organisation, agricultural input support should complement PDM financing rather than operate separately.

Under PDM, beneficiaries are expected to access financing to invest in productive activities along selected agricultural value chains. However, the ONC warned that financing alone may not deliver the desired results if farmers cannot obtain affordable seedlings, extension services and reliable markets.

The organisation also raised concern over cases where some PDM beneficiaries divert money meant for productive enterprises to urgent household expenses such as school fees and other basic needs.

It said such cases should not be viewed solely as failures by individual beneficiaries, but should also prompt Government to examine the wider support system surrounding households participating in PDM.

Quality and accountability concerns

The ONC further called for stronger mechanisms to ensure that agricultural inputs reaching farmers meet the required quality standards.

The organisation singled out the coffee sector, where the National Coffee Act, 2021 provides for the licensing and regulation of coffee nursery operators and requires farmers to obtain planting materials from certified operators.

It said access to quality seedlings is critical because poor planting materials can undermine farmers’ productivity and incomes long after the initial investment has been made.

The ONC also called for transparent targeting and distribution of agricultural inputs, stronger monitoring systems to prevent diversion and better coordination between central government agencies, local governments, extension workers, farmer organisations and communities.

It said agricultural interventions should be designed around the actual needs of farmers rather than focusing only on the distribution of inputs.

Government asked to respond

The ONC urged the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Local Government, local governments and other relevant institutions to consider the concerns being raised by farmers and review the existing agricultural input support framework.

The organisation said the ultimate goal should be to ensure that farmers can afford to plant, maintain and harvest productive crops, rather than simply receiving seedlings or other inputs.

It also called for closer coordination between PDM financing, agricultural extension services, input distribution and market access so that beneficiaries are supported throughout the production cycle.

“Uganda’s farmers are ready to produce. They need an enabling environment that makes production economically possible,” the ONC said.

The organisation said improving access to affordable, quality and climate-suitable agricultural inputs would help protect household incomes, raise agricultural productivity and strengthen the PDM’s objective of moving households into the money economy.

It added that a stronger agricultural support system could also contribute to increased exports and Uganda’s broader economic transformation.

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