Stakeholders from across Uganda’s rice value chain today convened for a two-day workshop focused on conducting a comprehensive gap analysis of the country’s rice-based agri-food system. The key objective of the workshop is to identify strategic Intervention and Investment opportunities that can significantly boost the sector’s performance and resilience.
Organized by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in partnership with the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), the workshop is being held at the CGIAR office premises in NARL, Kawanda.
The event was officially opened by the Director General of NARO, represented by the Director of NARL, Dr. Robooni Tumuhimbise. In his opening remarks, Dr. Tumuhimbise applauded the ongoing partnership between NARO and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), emphasizing the importance of leveraging each other’s strengths to advance agricultural research and development. He also underscored the need to promote rice production and consumption across all regions of the country to ensure national food security and economic resilience.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Deputy Director General for Agricultural Technology Promotion (DDG-ATP), Dr. Kasim Sadik, Dr. Barbara Zawedde stressed the critical role of Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institutes (ZARDIs). Strategically positioned across Uganda’s nine agro-ecological zones, ZARDIs play a vital role in conducting adaptive trials, ensuring that agricultural innovations are responsive to local environmental conditions and farmer needs.
Welcoming participants to the workshop, the Director of NaCRRI highlighted the strong and ongoing collaboration between IRRI and NaCRRI. He reiterated the significance of this engagement in strengthening Uganda’s rice sector and chaired the first session of the day, setting the stage for productive dialogue and knowledge sharing.
Dr. Jummai O. Yila -IRRI Country representative to Uganda shared a brief about the objectives of the meeting and the expected outputs of the workshop. The workshop brings together a diverse range of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. Participants include representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), AfricaRice, UNFEE, JICA, KOPIA, RIKOLTO, and others.
This multi-stakeholder approach reflects a shared commitment to advancing Uganda’s rice sector through evidence-based planning and collaboration.