Presented by Alex Tatwangire at the Uganda smallholder pig value chains development planning workshop, Nairobi, 24-25 September 2012

1. The conditions within which smallholder pig
value chains operate in Uganda: Preliminary
results
Alex Tatwangire (tatwangire@yahoo.co.uk)
Uganda smallholder pig value chains development planning workshop,
Nairobi, 24-25 September 2012

2. The livestock sector in Uganda
Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4
• The livestock • The potential of • Import & export • Major
sector and pig production of live pigs and constraints of
policy in Uganda pig meat small holder pig
framework in products production in
Uganda • Pig production Uganda
and production • Value addition
• Consumption of systems by actors, • Conclusion
pork and pig processig and
meat products marketing of
pig products

3. The livestock sector in Uganda
• An important sector of the economy
The • Contributes up to 23.8 percent of the GDP, generating about 48% of export
agricultural earnings (Republic of Uganda 2010; MAAIF 2011).
sector
• contributes about 15% of agricultural GDP (FAO, 2005).
• A 3 percent increase in the number of livestock and poultry in Uganda
during between 2009 and 2010 (MAAIF 2011).
Livestock • About 4.5 million households (70.8%) in Uganda rear at least one kind of
sector livestock or poultry (UBOS & MAAIF 2009).
• Pig production in Uganda is widespread and increasing at a high rate.
About 17.8 percent (1.1 millions) of all households own at least 1 pig
(UBOS & MAAIF 2009)..
Pig livestock • The number of pigs increased from 0.19 million in 1980 to 3.2 million in
sub-sector 2008.

4. Trends in livestock population
Table 1: Trends in livestock population (values in ‘000’) in Uganda (FAO, 2005: MAAIF, 2009)
Species Period (in Years)
1980 1990 2000 2002 2008
Cattle 4,771 4,913 5,966 6,075 11,409
Sheep and goats 3,862 5,490 7,477 7,993 15,863
Pigs 187 1,160 1,573 1,710 3,184
Poultry 13,200 18,960 26,974 32,638 37,444
Table 2: Pigs and ruminant livestock population (, 000) in 2008 (Census Report, 2009)
Pigs Cattle Goats Sheep
Region Population % Population % Population % Population %
Central 1,308 41 2,476 22 1,676 13 272 8
Eastern 700 22 2,489 22 2,500 21 319 9
Northern 341 11 1,642 14 2,696 22 569 17
Western 778 24 2,549 22 3,452 28 568 17
Karamoja 58 2 2,254 20 2,025 16 1,686 49
Total 3,184 100 11,409 100 12,450 100 3,413 100

5. Policy framework in Uganda
Committed to increase investment in core areas of:
• Agricultural research; agricultural advisory services; pest and disease
control; regulatory services; promoting value chain development;
improved use of water for agricultural production, and; the support &
supervision of service delivery in local governments.
• Concerns of a costly policy duplication in the past 12 years.
The National Development Plan (NDP), 2009-2014
• Replaced the two former national plans “the Poverty Eradication Action
Plan (PEAP) and the Strategic Plan for Modernization of Agriculture
(PMA), 2001 - 2009.
• In line with the Agricultural Sector Development Strategy and Investment
Plan (DSIP), a guide to the country’s agricultural priorities, development
programs, and agricultural transformation.
• A road-map to public interventions in the agricultural sector, to boost
agricultural growth, food security and poverty reduction.

6. Policy framework in Uganda (ctn’d)
• National Policy for the Delivery of Veterinary
Animal Services (2001)
health • National Veterinary Drug Policy (2002)
related • The National Animal Feeds Policy (2005)
• Animal Breeding Policy (1997) and Act (2001)
• The National Meat Policy (2003
Food • Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) II 2005-2010
safety
related • National Environment Policy
• Decentralization Policy (1993)
• The National Land Use Policy
Other
• National Adaptation Plan of Action 2007
related
• Uganda Food and Nutrition Policy, 2003

7. Consumption of pork and pig meat products
Increase in Uganda’s human population, currently
estimated to be about 34,612,250 millions; about
773,463 reside in Kampala.
• High domestic & regional demand for pork/pork products:-
increase in human population growth, urbanization, purchasing
power & change in tastes & preferences
Daily consumption of pigs (pigs slaughtered per day) in
Kampala is estimated to be between 300 and 500.
• Pork products in Uganda include: live pigs, large pieces (usually
the thighs and chest) of pork, pork chops, pork sausages, bacon,
ham, roasted (or fried) pork chops and ribs.

9. Proportion of households that owned, sold, and
slaughtered pigs, 1990-2010
1990 2000/01 2009/10
Particulars Freq. % Freq. % Freq. %
Male headed
Households that owned pigs 42 10.1 89 21.4 328 30.6
Households that sold pigs 50 12.0 98 9.2
Households that slaughtered pigs 9 2.2 6 0.6
Total number of observations (N) 416 416 1071
Female headed
Households that owned pigs 3 8.8 5 14.7 121 31.9
Households that sold pigs 5 14.7 29 7.7
Households that slaughtered pigs 0 0.0 1 0.3
Total number of observations (N) 34 34 379
Overall
Households that owned pigs 45 10.0 94 20.9 449 30.9
Households that sold pigs 55 12.2 127 8.8
Households that slaughtered pigs 9 2.0 7 0.5
Total number of observations (N) 450 450 1451
Notice: (i) Figure in the table include Frequencies and percentages; (ii) Statistics in the Table were computed
based on UBOS 2009/10 round of UNPS survey.

10. Pig production in Uganda
• About 80-90% of livestock keepers are
Pig industry in smallholders, keep pigs in the backyard.
Uganda • Has increased in the last 3 decades,
underdeveloped. • Livestock growth rate (3%) lower than
growth rate (3.3 %) in human population.
The current • The country has the potential to be
population of pigs self sufficient in pork products.
estimated to be 3.2 • The numbers of pigs slaughtered
million increasing
• Are relatively resistant to some diseases,
Pigs can have high and their unrestrictive feeding habits
productivity & allows the use of various feedstuffs,
growth rates • Only pigs & poultry continue to register
minor gains in off-take rate

11. Total number of pigs by district in Uganda (The National Livestock Census
Report 2008, Pg 60)

13. Pig production systems in Uganda
• Pigs are kept housed all the time (are provided with feeds, water,
and protection from extreme weather)
Intensive pig • Characterized by higher demand for labour/other inputs. Provides
system higher farm output; accounts for a very small proportion
• Pigs are partly housed and partly kept outdoors on the pasture
• Allows improvement in: feeding; growth rate; disease control; control
Semi- of heat stress; mating, and; the quality of animals. Demands high
intensive pig
system amounts of labour, but gives relatively high farm output.
• The simplest & most common system in Uganda. Pigs are kept out-
door, to freely move around the homestead as they feed on their own,
Extensive or or tethered.
tethered pig- • Often practiced by the very poor, who tend to invest in a low cost/ low
system output farming system, characterizes subsistence production

15. Imports and Exports of Live Pigs and Pig meat products,
2007-2011
Items 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Live pigs imported
Number - 1030 - - --
Value (Million Ushs) - 24.6 - - -
Pig meat and meat products imported
Quantity (Kg) 10341 9375 10777 - 133601
Value (Million Ushs) 28.6 40.4 53.3 - 2247.6
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Live pigs exported
Number 310 174 - 122 -
Value (Million Ushs) 31.8 8.5 - 43.1 -
Pig meat and meat products exported
Quantity (Kg) 18622 - 179 32790.4 1346.1
Value (Million Ushs) 17.5 - 6.0 295.5 29.6
Source: Compiled from Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Data, Division of Research

16. Activity Chain actors and interactions
Consumption Consumers in Consumers in Consumers in Pig value
the pork joints households institutions
and hotels chain map in
Uganda
(adapted
Retailing and Roadside pork Super Outlets of
distribution butcheries markets urban from:
processors
Farmers’
FGDs
Slaughter and Slaughter Pork Urban Local conducted
processing of houses and butcheries consumers
pig meat City abbatoirs
processors
by the
Livestock
Marketing of
Data
Local Government Traders Other
live piglets and
trader in thru NAADS, in adult farmers 1% Innovation
adult pigs
piglets and NGOs pigs Project in
5% 5%
10%
50%
34% 5%
Wakiso and
%
Rearing of pigs Pig farmer 1: Pig farmer 2:
Mukono
on farms Keeps pigs and breeds 90% Keeps and fattens districts,
piglets piglets
September
2012
Farm inputs and Land Farm tools
their suppliers Water Pig feeds from feed stores
Labor (daily or monthly) for Drugs, disinfectants &
tending pigs acaricides: veterinary
Capital for investment and shops
sources such as: banks, MFIs, Crop inputs (fertilizers,
and friends and relatives seeds,& pesticides)

17. Major constraints of small holder pig production in
Uganda 1
• Lack of capital on farms; limited access to
information/training on pig husbandry
• Poor management (animal feeding/nutrition)
• Expensive veterinary services/extension services
• Fake drugs and feeds.
• Limited access to & knowing which pig breeds that are
productive for different production systems.
• Poor structure of pig industry (more traders in the
supply chain).
• Farmers are poorly organized (unable to take
advantage of collective marketing/upgrading)
• Low productivity due to technical/management
problems on farms

18. Major constraints of small holder pig production in
Uganda 2
• Poor transport & market infrastructure
• Limited value addition on pork & pig meat products.
• Pig production not among priority areas in the
Agricultural Sector Development Strategy and
Investment Plan (DSIP) for Uganda.
• Pork safety problems of zoonoses (e.g. tape worms,
TB, & anthrax) & contamination
• Pig diseases: -African Swine Fever, helminthosis,
scabies, mange (i.e. skin disease characterised by
intense itching and caused by mites), coughing and
diarrhoea.

19. Conclusions 1
Access to affordable credit, training, extension services,
veterinary services, improved infrastructure and good
breeds crucial if pig productivity is to improve.
Improvement in the pig production system due to recent
routine interventions in the control of animal diseases.
Efforts to achieve meat output targets in the country limited
by livestock policies that focus more on cattle, goats,
sheep and chicken enterprises that require high cost of
production.
The private veterinary services sector is growing at a very
slow pace compared to the demands for such services.
The animal feed industry is under developed, unable to
ensure supply of quality feed all year round due to
limited infrastructure. Problem of substandard feeds and
feed stuffs.

20. Conclusions 2
Poor hygiene/contamination of pork, abattoirs, and
pork joints is greatly reducing the competitiveness
of pig sector in Uganda.
Boosting pig productivity requires improvement in
breeding, feed production, and modern pig
abattoirs.
Meat inspectors in the country demoralised due to the
lack of authority to punish culprits of illegal and
unhygienic pig slaughter.
The market of live pigs, pork & pork products is
segmented and needs to be improved to reward
quality and supply to the poor.
The increase in the number of pigs reared appears to be
more pronounced among the richest 25 percent &
poorest 25 percent of households.

21. • More info
• http://livestockfish.cgiar.org