Uganda Considers Livestock Vaccine Policy Reversal Amid Budget Constraints

Friday, February 2, 2024
Hon. Frank Tumwebaze
BENARD BALUKU
3 Min Read

Summary:

  • The Minister of Agriculture in Uganda, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, has suggested a policy reversal to allow farmers to purchase livestock vaccines due to budget constraints. The current policy of government-provided vaccines covers only 1.1% of the needed doses. A Cabinet Paper is scheduled for discussion to explore policy options, including cost-sharing.

Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), has announced that the government is contemplating a policy shift regarding livestock vaccination to enable farmers to purchase vaccines.

The Minister disclosed this information while presenting a statement on the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak during the plenary sitting on Thursday, 01 February 2024.

Tumwebaze highlighted that the current policy, which mandates the government to provide vaccines to farmers as a public good, has faced challenges due to budget constraints. The allocated budget for procuring vaccines covers only 1.1% of the susceptible domestic animal population, falling significantly short of the recommended 80%.

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He explained, “Our total susceptible animal herd that requires FMD vaccination is estimated at 44 million, necessitating an annual vaccine stock of 88 million doses at a cost of USD$2 per dose. The financial implication for this amounts to USD$176m.”

To address the financial strain on the national budget, Tumwebaze revealed that a Cabinet Paper is set for discussion on Monday, 05 February 2024. The paper will explore policy options, including cost-sharing, as the cost per dose is deemed affordable for most livestock farmers.

In the interim, the Minister mentioned that MAAIF had repurposed part of its development budget to provide 2.6 million doses to 94 districts last year. An additional 2.3 million doses are on order, addressing the challenges associated with the delayed supply chain of FMD vaccines.

Tumwebaze also proposed a supplementary budget request to procure 10 million doses for affected and high-risk districts, along with support for disease surveillance tools and resources for District Veterinary Officers (DVOs).

Furthermore, he informed that the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is in the process of formulating an FMD vaccine, pending evaluation and scrutiny by the National Drug Authority.

The Minister emphasized the necessity of maintaining quarantine restrictions until the country receives FMD vaccines, and distribution and vaccinations are conducted simultaneously with laboratory testing. Members of Parliament welcomed the proposed policy reversal and supplementary budget request, acknowledging the urgent need for mass vaccination to control the highly contagious FMD affecting 36 districts across the country. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa set a deadline of Thursday, 08 February 2024, for the Minister to update Parliament on the Cabinet’s position and the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development’s stance on the policy reversal and supplementary request.

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