The National Fertiliser Policy is a national sectoral policy of Uganda. Its main objective is to reduce nutrient loss through soil erosion by 30 kg per hectare per year and raise the use and application levels of fertiliser to at least 50 kg of nutrients per hectare per year by 2020.; The Policy seeks to make agriculture more productive and sustainable. More specifically, it aims to strengthen the capacity of farmers to engage in safe, profitable and sustainable fertiliser use; to stimulate demand and increase fertiliser use, soil fertility, and address fertiliser knowledge constraints; to make farmers and the general public aware of the low soil fertility in Uganda and what needs to change to increase productivity; to train farmers on the judicious use, handling and application of fertiliser to increase crop yields; to establish soil nutrient deficiencies to maintain a nutrient balance during application; to develop soil maps for the country such that for each region, the nutrient deficiencies are identified and the nutrient requirements are established; to conduct an environmental impact assessment before fertiliser production starts in the country; to encourage the use of organic and bio-fertilisers by promoting an integrated plant nutrient management system that maintains soil fertility; to enhance the regulatory and institutional capacity to ensure the quality, environmentally safe supply and use of fertilisers to achieve sustainable productivity and production; and to effectively manage fertiliser-related knowledge.; In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the following measures are set out: strengthen the capacity of suppliers to deliver fertilisers at the right quantity, quality and time and in a cost-effective manner; organise Ugandan fertiliser importers to cooperate and collaborate with other importers in the East African Community for the bulk import of fertilisers; provide data on the fertiliser requirements per region based on aggregated demand; expand the existing Agriculture Credit Facility to include a component that supports bulk fertiliser importation and distribution; support wholesalers and distributors at the zonal level for bulk transportation and distribution of fertilisers to various regions and districts; develop business skills for various levels of fertiliser dealers to maximise the profits from genuine business, including processing reimbursements of the withholding tax; strengthen the national associations of input suppliers for the self-regulation of the private sector; develop investment plans for the commercial production of various forms of fertilisers from local resources; attract private investors to undertake exploratory studies to establish the potential for the commercial exploitation of fertiliser deposits; and promote the mass production of local organic and bio-fertilisers such as kitchen ashbased fertilisers, compost from urban garbage, rhizobia and mychorrhiza.; Increasing the resilience of livelihoods and disasters is among the objectives of this Policy. To this end, the Policy recognises that the use of fertiliser can have two opposing effects on the environment and can therefore contribute either positively or negatively to climate change. On one hand, the over-use of fertiliser may lead to the emission of nitrous oxide, which is responsible for global warming. On the other hand, fertiliser use, particularly nitrogen, can increase water use efficiency by crops, which could serve as an adaptation strategy to climate change. According to the document, action will be taken in this policy to address impacts of climate change through interventions such as sustainable fertiliser use and land management.; Government, through Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, will undertake internal and external monitoring of the implementation of activities of all organs and institutions in the fertiliser sub-sector. Government will also monitor the national fertiliser use levels and trends in the country, with the aim of regulating the fertiliser use support facility and determining the efficiency and effectiveness of fertiliser importation and distribution; ensure that all stakeholders are involved in the monitoring and evaluation process; and monitor the trends in fertiliser use and its impact on agricultural productivity, farm household income and the environment.
National Fertiliser Policy