Uganda expands access to quality pig breeding stock for PDM farmers

Thousands of farmers participating in Uganda’s Parish Development Model (PDM) are set to gain improved access to quality pig breeding stock under a new five-year plan by the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC&DB). The initiative will expand the breeding and multiplication of productive, farmer-preferred pigs and make high-performance breeding stock available to farmers at highly subsidised prices. The intervention is contained in NAGRC&DB’s Strategic and Investment Plan for 2025/26 to 2029/30, one of five institutional documents launched at the agency’s headquarters in Entebbe.
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‎The programme aims to help households establish more productive pig enterprises, increase incomes and move from subsistence farming towards commercial production. To achieve this, NAGRC&DB farms and ranches will serve as breeding and multiplication centres, working with local governments, farmer organisations and PDM structures to reach beneficiaries.
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‎Alongside access to improved breeding stock, pig farmers will receive technical guidance on breeding, feeding and enterprise management. The agency will also prioritise the production of quality and affordable animal feeds, helping farmers improve pig productivity and maximise the benefits of better genetics.
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‎The initiative forms part of Uganda’s wider animal breeding strategy, which seeks to address low genetic productivity, weak breeding infrastructure and limited access to quality breeding materials. It will also promote climate-resilient genetics while supporting the conservation of indigenous animal genetic resources.