The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry is in the process of allocating more than 135 square miles of land belonging to government farms and Ranches to individuals and private companies. The affected include Ruhengyere, Nshaara, Aswa, Lusenke and Marunzi Ranches as well as Entebbe Livestock Experimental Station.
The move is in response to a directive by President Yoweri Museveni to allocate the land to 20 individuals and companies with capacity to breed long horned Ankole cattle to be leased with land, cattle fattening and other investments involved in Livestock farming. The president’s directive is gazetted as number PO14 of June 9th 2017.
He issued the directive on grounds that the Long Horned Ankole Cattle was an endangered species despite its advantages like withstanding harsh conditions and quality of meat. According to a reliable source in the Ministry of Agriculture, the president directed that only those already involved in farming the Long Horned Ankole Cattle at a large scale should benefit from the land.
On May 24th, 2018, the State Minister for Agriculture Joy Kabatsi put together a list of 19 people and Companies earmarked to benefit from the land and sent it to the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.
“The purpose of this communication is to forward to you the consolidated list of farmers and investors for the land leasing process as directed by H.E the President. Kindly go ahead and lease the land to these enlisted in accordance with land leasing and with technical support from the Uganda Land Commission,” reads the letter that this publication has seen.
On August 9th, 2018, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture Pius Wakabi Kasaija wrote letters of No Objection. In the letters, Wakabi indicates that the beneficiaries have made formal applications and project proposals for utilising the land.
He also noted that the lease will be for five years extendable to 49 years upon fulfillment of the project proposals and also that the land shall only be used for breeding of the Ankole Long Horned cattle. The biggest chunk of the land has been given to Palm Oil Project. Palm Oil Project is recommended and has been cleared to receive 43 Square Miles of land at Maruzi Ranch in Apac District.
Iranian firm, Pars Agriculture Holding Company has also been cleared to receive 15 Square Miles of land from Aswa Government Ranch in Pader District. When contacted, Kabatsi confirmed the process was ongoing. She however, said only four people who were fronted by the President himself have received the land so far.
Initially, Museveni had recommended that 10 square miles of land at Nshaara Ranch in Kiruhura be given to Barnabas Tinkamanyire Nuwamanya. While Ankole Long Horned Cattle breeders Association be allocated 2 square Miles at the same Ranch, Eric Rutagirwa 2square Miles while M/S Gravity investment Ltd be allocated 12Square Mile at the Aswa Ranch and Mechanisex Agro Ug Ltd be given 5 Square Miles at Nshaara.
The list of beneficiaries is as follows;
1. Elsewedy Electric Entebbe Livestock Experimental Station 25 Acres
2. MS Gravity Investment Ltd Aswa Ranch 12Sq. Miles
3. Emmanuel Kamihingo Nshaara Ranch 2Sq. Miles
4. Barnabas Tinkamanyire Nshaara Ranch 10Sq. Miles
5. Eric Rutahingwa Nshaara Ranch 2Sq. Miles
6. Ankole Long horned Cattle Breeders Nshaara Ranch 2Sq. Miles
7.Amos Dairies Nshaara Ranch 2Sq. Miles
8. Ji xia. Ji Nshaara Ranch 5Sq. Miles
9.NAGRC&DB Nshaara Ranch 2Sq. Miles
10. Palm Oil Project Marunzi Ranch 43Sq. Miles
11. NARO Marunzi Ranch 7Sq. Miles
12.NAGRC&DB Marunzi Ranch 8Sq. Miles
13. Palm Oil out growers Marunzi Ranch 6Sq. Miles
14. M/S Brentec for Livestoc Vaccine NARO-Nakyesesa 25 Acres
15. M/S Sasini Lusenke 300 Acres
16. M/S Sasini Njeru Farm 5 Acres
17.Dr Ahamed Alitigan (UAE) Ruhengyere 2Sq. Miles
18. Abbacipolteum (Sudan) Ruhengyere 2Sq. Miles
19. Pars Agric Holding Co. (Iran) Aswa Ranch 15 Sq. Miles
20. Mechanised Agro Ug Ltd Nshaara Ranch 5Sq. Miles
– URN
