Newsletter April 2013 - CropLife Africa Middle East

Page 10
CropLife Africa Middle East Newsletter Number 89
April 2013
CropLife Uganda holds AGM
CropLife Uganda held their 7th Annual General Meeting
on 26 March 2013 at the Fairway Hotel, Kampala.
Attendance included 8 CropLife member companies and
6 observers. Michael Odong, Principal Agriculture
Inspector, officially opened the meeting, and who
welcomed the strong partnership between MAAIF and
CropLife Uganda. Hon. Deus Bikwasizehi, Patron of
CropLife Uganda, later closed the meeting.
The newly elected Executive Committee is as follows;
Stephen Matovu
Anastase Rubangura
Godfrey Ongom
(Chairman)
(Secretary)
(Treasurer)
Major points highlighted during the meeting included;
The need to establish a levy system on all imported crop
protection products and fertilizers. This would support
the national Safe Use program, the management of
empty pesticide containers and the eradication of
counterfeit products. It was agreed that the new
committee should come up with a firm proposal on the
establishment of a levy system to be presented to the
Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry
and Fisheries (MAAIF), Crop Protection Department.
From right: Anastase Rubangura, Godfrey Ongom, Hon Deus Bikwasizehi,
Stephen Matovu, Betty Atto and Michael Odong
The meeting was informed that for the year 2012 /2013;
CropLife Uganda’s main activities depended solely on
donors’ funding, namely:
The SMS Scratch Pilot supported by CropLife Africa
Middle East.
The anti-counterfeiting campaigns funded successfully
by the Agri-Business Initiative Trust with the support
from CropLife Africa Middle East.
The meeting tasked the new committee to identify
mechanisms of generating more income into the
Association in order to be less dependent on donor
funding.
A proposal was made that CropLife Uganda should
develop a “business plan” covering the next five years
and in the event that funds were available, to hire a
consultant to handle this undertaking.
A further proposal was made in that CropLife Uganda
should take up the spray Service Provider (SSP)
concept. This would be a good tool to expand
stewardship practices.
The meeting tasked the new committee to amend the
CropLife Uganda constitution.
Betty Atto, CropLife Uganda
Front row: (from right) Paul Kyabaggu, Michael Odong, Hon Deus Bikwasizehi,
Stephen Matovu and Anastase Rubangura
Representing the Plant Science Industry