The Opposition in Uganda's 12th Parliament is pushing for a new Contract Farming Bill, a national post-harvest management policy and reforms in agricultural finance as part of efforts to address crop losses estimated at between 22 and 30 per cent.
The proposals are contained in the Opposition Legislative Priorities for FY2026/27-FY2030/31, a five-year roadmap for the Opposition's legislative, oversight and policy work.
The document cites a 2023 World Bank Group report showing that Uganda loses between 22 and 30 per cent of its crop harvest after harvest, largely due to inadequate storage and handling systems and policy frameworks that have not kept pace with farmers' needs.
"These gaps in legislation and policy hold back the full commercialisation of agriculture, weaken risk management, quality control and post-harvest handling, and limit the sector's contribution to household income and food security for the 70% of Ugandans who depend on it," the priorities document states.
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The Opposition says the proposed reforms are intended to reduce losses, improve farmers' access to finance and inputs, strengthen agricultural value chains and increase household incomes.
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, unveiled the priorities as a roadmap for the Opposition's work during the five-year parliamentary term.
"Our role as the Opposition is to provide constructive scrutiny, offer practical alternatives, and ensure that public policies and programmes genuinely improve the lives of our people," he said at the induction.
At the centre of the proposed agricultural reforms is a Contract Farming Bill to regulate agreements between farmers and buyers.
The proposed law would establish rules governing contract terms, pricing, provision of inputs, insurance and dispute resolution.
The Opposition argues that contract farming remains poorly regulated, leaving farmers exposed to unfair terms and disputes over prices and other contractual obligations.
The proposed legislation is part of a broader package aimed at addressing structural weaknesses in Uganda's agricultural sector.
According to Ministry of Finance figures cited in the document, agriculture contributes 26.5 per cent of GDP, employs about 70 per cent of the working population and accounts for approximately 35 per cent of export earnings.
Despite its economic importance, the Opposition says agricultural finance remains out of reach for many farmers, while counterfeit inputs, low mechanisation and weak value chains continue to constrain productivity.
Post-Harvest Losses
The Opposition also proposes a National Post-Harvest Management Policy backed by regulations covering storage standards, subsidies and warehouse receipt systems.
The policy is intended to address losses occurring after crops are harvested, particularly those linked to inadequate storage, handling and marketing systems.
The document identifies post-harvest losses as a major obstacle to agricultural commercialisation and says reducing them would improve food security and farmer incomes.
The stated objective of the proposed interventions is "to reduce losses, improve commercialisation, and increase farmer incomes."
Expected outcomes include significantly reduced post-harvest losses, improved access to agricultural finance and inputs, stronger value chains for tea and cocoa, higher mechanisation rates and improved food security.
Agricultural Finance and Mechanisation
The Opposition is also proposing an Agricultural Finance Policy and specialised agricultural lending frameworks to expand access to credit for farmers.
The proposed policy would seek to address what the Opposition describes as limited access to affordable agricultural finance, which restricts farmers' ability to invest in production, storage, processing and value addition.
The agenda further proposes a National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy to increase the use of machinery in farming and improve productivity.
The Opposition says low mechanisation remains one of the constraints affecting the sector's ability to commercialise and compete effectively.
Tea, Cocoa and Counterfeit Inputs
The legislative agenda proposes a National Tea and Cocoa Policy to strengthen the two value chains and improve their contribution to farmers and the wider economy.
It also proposes amendments to the Agricultural Chemicals Act and Seeds Act to strengthen enforcement and introduce greater traceability in the fight against counterfeit agricultural inputs.
The Opposition argues that the continued circulation of counterfeit inputs undermines productivity and exposes farmers to financial losses.
Livestock and Fisheries Reforms
The agricultural reform agenda extends beyond crop production to livestock and fisheries.
The Opposition says cross-border livestock trade remains largely informal and lacks the traceability records increasingly required by export markets.
It proposes amendments to the Animal Diseases Act, Cap. 48, to introduce mandatory traceability systems, value-addition incentives and integrated disease surveillance linked to export standards.
The agenda also recommends a National Livestock Identification and Traceability Act requiring compulsory registration and tagging of livestock.
In the dairy industry, the Opposition proposes amendments to the Dairy Industry Act, Cap. 67, to establish fair minimum pricing mechanisms and dispute-resolution procedures amid continuing pricing conflicts between processors and farmers.
Fisheries and Aquaculture
The Opposition also wants reforms in fisheries management, arguing that fishing communities face overexploitation partly because existing co-management arrangements lack a firm legal foundation.
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It proposes amendments to the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, Cap. 314 to strengthen fisheries management and establish a statutory framework for community fisheries co-management.
A standalone Aquaculture Act is also proposed to establish clear rules on licensing, site selection and environmental management for fish farming and cage culture.
The Opposition further calls for proper auditing and reporting of public funds allocated to livestock and fisheries programmes.
"Taken together, these measures aim to raise sector productivity and export competitiveness while protecting farmers and fisherfolk from unfair pricing and resource depletion," the priorities state.
The Opposition expects the reforms to result in higher productivity, reduced losses, increased exports of value-added agricultural products and improved household incomes across the agriculture, animal industry and fisheries sub-sectors.
Ssenyonyi has urged Opposition MPs to unite around the common priorities, saying they share a commitment to constitutionalism, accountability, justice and good governance regardless of party differences.
The legislative priorities are expected to guide the Opposition's proposed Bills, motions, committee work, budget advocacy and parliamentary oversight throughout the 12th Parliament.
The package places agricultural reform among the Opposition's major legislative priorities for the five-year term, with the proposed measures seeking to move beyond production and address the wider challenges of financing, storage, processing, marketing, regulation and value addition.
