John Kasozi
18 November 2008
Kampala — THE Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) together with Brentec Investments will start production of a thermal-stable Newcastle poultry vaccine to control the newcastle disease (Ensotoka) in poultry.
Prof. Charles Kwesiga, the executive director of the institute, said with Government support, the vaccine plant will be in operation within 15 to 18 months time.
"This is a concept of technology incubation that the institute is developing. We aim to produce a vaccine that peasants can themselves administer to their chicken using community based vaccinators," Kwesiga says.
He noted that it is their strategic choice to start with this vaccine because it is relevant to the fight against poverty in rural areas.
"This will ensure quick response to outbreaks."
The institute intends to scale-up production rapidly to cater for the domestic market and to extend coverage to the regional markets.
Other livestock vaccines will be added to the production line in accordance with national and regional priorities.
Trade between Uganda and her neighbours has increased by over 20% and almost 80% of this is in agricultural products. Interestingly, the most highly priced products exported to Sudan are chicken and eggs.
"Our poultry industry cannot take off until we have controlled the constant threat of Newcastle disease. The disease in Uganda has been described by one livestock expert as 'an unrecognised annual national disaster," Kwesiga said.
He observed that if peasant farmers would vaccinate their chickens against Newcastle at appropriate times, they would see a reduction in losses, more production and would be more receptive to other messages concerning improved poultry production and poverty eradication.
Control of the disease in villages, in the past, had limited success. Vaccines used in the past were kept in a cold chain and sold in vials containing many doses, which were too expensive for most peasants.
Essentially this has been caused by declining government support, limited resources and structural adjustments.
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