Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Over 300 exhibitors have turned up at the ongoing national agricultural show.
This year’s 31st agricultural show, which kicked off on Friday, is running under the theme of “technological innovations driving farm wealth,”.
The acting agricultural show spokesperson, Alex Mugotanyi, says that, after realization that agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy, they have partnered with exhibitors to showcase the latest farm technologies in a bid to help farmers.
Mugotanyi says that the latest technologies are largely in the area of agricultural mechanisation, with exhibitors showcasing efficient and affordable farm equipment. He says that some of these technologies include hand tractors, costing between 5 to 10 Million Shillings, which are easily affordable for farmers kickstarting their journeys in the agrimechanization sector.
Mugotanyi also provides highlights about what he termed as easy-to-use irrigation systems costing One Million Shillings, which he says can boost yields for farmers in drought-stricken areas.
Mugotanyi says that farmers are being trained on how best they can use modern seed technologies to improve their farm yields and, in turn, profit from their agricultural investments.
Immaculate Musoke, one of the exhibitors, says that they believe that this year’s show will offer them a platform to address farmers’ needs in regards to technology uptake on their farms.
Musoke says that, since this first week has been restricted to adults, the past two days have been yielding with the agritech experts sharing in one session with farmers, who so desire, the same to improve their outcomes.
Also, Rose Nakiirya says that she is showcasing modern techniques of moderating both moisture content and light to improve mushroom yields. Nakiirya says that, through partnerships with different research scientists with an interest in improving both the nutritional and monetary value of mushrooms, this show has given them a platform to showcase them to farmers.
This year’s show has been divided into two segments, with the adult show goers visiting exhibition stalls from 27th-5th, July 2025, while the students’ show, with largely schools, education institutions and universities, will start on 6th-12th July 2025.
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