Strategy for agricultural marketing and agro-processing ... - Foodnet
Strategy for agricultural marketing and agro-processing ... - Foodnet
Strategy for agricultural marketing and agro-processing ... - Foodnet
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4. PRIORITY INTERVENTION AREAS<br />
4.1 General<br />
In light of the constraints identified in the previous Section, priorities <strong>for</strong> public intervention in<br />
the areas of <strong>agricultural</strong> <strong>marketing</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>agro</strong>-<strong>processing</strong> can be summarised as:<br />
(a) Trade <strong>and</strong> finance<br />
• improved capacity to undertake trade negotiations in regional <strong>and</strong> international <strong>for</strong>a;<br />
• establishment of expert teams to provide trade/market analysis <strong>and</strong> intelligence;<br />
• improved access to financing <strong>for</strong> <strong>marketing</strong>/value-added interventions/agri-business;<br />
• improved rural contract law.<br />
(b) Producer support<br />
• provision of market in<strong>for</strong>mation to farmers <strong>and</strong> traders;<br />
• improved farmer organisation; <strong>and</strong><br />
• educational programmes to engage farmers more effectively in the liberalised market<br />
environment.<br />
(c) Infrastructure<br />
• increased rural road investments to link farmers with markets;<br />
• reduced rates <strong>for</strong> air <strong>and</strong> rail freight; <strong>and</strong><br />
• overcoming other infrastructure shortcomings<br />
There is also a need to bring about a general increase the overall productivity of the <strong>agricultural</strong><br />
sector – <strong>for</strong> example, increasing the effectiveness of <strong>agricultural</strong> research <strong>and</strong> extension service<br />
delivery through a greater emphasis on dem<strong>and</strong>-led programmes, <strong>and</strong> the diversification of<br />
production <strong>and</strong> exports into non-traditional <strong>agricultural</strong> commodities. However, interventions in<br />
these (<strong>and</strong> other) areas are already underway or are planned <strong>for</strong> implementation in the near<br />
future, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry <strong>and</strong> Fisheries’ work programme<br />
which receives substantial support from Ug<strong>and</strong>a’s development partners.<br />
4.2 Specific intervention programmes<br />
The MAPS seeks to address the priority areas <strong>for</strong> public sector action listed above. They are<br />
detailed below <strong>and</strong> summarised in the logical framework presented in Table 2 (see “Activities” 1<br />
<strong>and</strong> 2, in particular). It is important not to lose sight of the fact that a number of the areas<br />
highlighted in this paper - improving the availability of <strong>and</strong> access to, finance <strong>for</strong> trade <strong>and</strong> <strong>agro</strong><strong>processing</strong><br />
purposes, reducing air <strong>and</strong> rail freight rates (through common initiatives by Ug<strong>and</strong>a,<br />
Tanzania <strong>and</strong> Kenya to tackle transport bottlenecks affecting Ug<strong>and</strong>a’s trade) <strong>and</strong> improved<br />
contract regulations to enable contracts to be more rigorously en<strong>for</strong>ced (thus reducing trading<br />
risks <strong>and</strong> encouraging greater transaction cost efficiency), in particular - are already being<br />
addressed by the Government through its Medium-Term Competitiveness <strong>Strategy</strong> (MTCS).<br />
Care will be needed to ensure that none of these ef<strong>for</strong>ts are duplicated.<br />
4.2.1 Trade <strong>and</strong> finance<br />
(i) Development of the national capacity to negotiate international trade agreements <strong>and</strong> to<br />
analyse trade issues<br />
The EC-supported UPTOP intervention, the implementation of which is scheduled to begin later<br />
this year, will assist the Government in its work of developing of a comprehensive national trade<br />
policy (including an associated strategy <strong>for</strong> its implementation) through a consultative process,<br />
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