State Minister for Agriculture in charge of Animal Industry, Mr Bright Rwamirama has said there is need for farmers to practice artificial insemination (AI) in order to improve livestock breeds across the country.
“We are going to roll out this programme in the cattle corridor. We shall also introduce cows in areas where they are not traditionally kept, it is no longer fashionable to have very huge farms, you can keep a good number of cattle on a small piece of land by promoting efficient means of production,” Rwamirama said.
Mr Rwamirama made the remarks while handing over artificial insemination kits to recently trained 33 (AI) technicians and commissioning of farm machinery at the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB) in Entebbe.
“We have designed our breeding programme in a way that every region has centres with designated officers working with local government and farmers cooperatives,” the minister said.
The executive director NAGRC&DB, Mr Peter Beine said the facility has made arrangements for the artificial insemination technicians are regulated to avoid abuse of the practice.
“They will go out there to serve the communities but we have made sure we put in regulations to make sure the profession is not abused. We have made a covenant document that guides the way they offer the services,” he said.
