Kampala, August 20, 2026
The National Enterprise Development Specialist and the Parish Development Model (PDM) team met with the Managing Director of De Heus Animal Nutrition Uganda, Mr. Bon Tjeenk Willink, to discuss a strategic partnership aimed at making quality animal feeds more affordable and reliable for PDM farmers.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Emmanuel Mutahunga of the Uganda Free Zones and Export Promotion Authority (UFZEPA). Discussions focused on how to build an organized fish feed supply system that cuts out unnecessary intermediary and distribution costs.
Under the proposal, PDM farmers could access quality feeds at predictable prices. The arrangement targets bringing the current retail price down from approximately UGX 5,000 – 6,000 per kilogram to around UGX 3,000 per kilogram, depending on final commercial and distribution agreements.
Beyond fish feed
The talks extended beyond fish feed to include local production of key raw materials. Maize and cassava were identified as priority crops that can be sourced locally to support feed manufacturing.
Three sub-regions were earmarked for the initial phase:
- Bukedi sub-region for fish feed distribution
- Busoga and Elgon for production of feed raw materials such as maize and cassava
The parties agreed that implementation could be formalized through a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding at an appropriate stage.
Agreed next steps
To move the partnership forward, the team outlined 10 immediate actions:
- Hold further high-level and local government engagements with relevant stakeholders
- Develop a detailed framework for the Bukedi fish feed pilot
- Map and profile PDM fish farmers and their requirements in Bukedi
- Map maize and cassava farmer groups in Bukedi, Busoga and Elgon for potential supply of feed raw materials
- Agree on competitive feed pricing and distribution arrangements
- Establish quality specifications for maize, cassava and other potential feed ingredients
- Develop a farmer aggregation mechanism through PDM SACCOs, farmer groups and Local Governments
- Develop a tripartite MOU defining responsibilities and implementation arrangements
- Establish a monitoring framework for feed prices, volumes, quality, productivity, farmer incomes, raw material purchases and loan repayment
- Document lessons from the pilot for possible national scale-up
If implemented, the partnership is expected to strengthen feed affordability, boost local raw material production, and increase productivity and incomes for PDM farmers.
