KAMPALA, Ugandan -                    The Ugandan government has stated it plans to register all farmers and their cattle, including issuing birth certificates for the animals, so it can trace their products, it was gathered.

According to the nation’s Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Mr Vincent Ssempijja, Tuesday said the international market demands that all countries producing food for the European market should have proof of its traceability.

“They want to know where the [meat and crop] products are coming from. They have been impounding and banning all consignments from Uganda if they find one box with issues," he said at the official opening of the National Agricultural Show in Jinja, southern Uganda.

“Farmers will be registered and their products given barcodes so that if they find a problem with one box, they look for the source and sort out the problem. We cannot enter lucrative markets unless farmers register.”

In other to achieve that, Ssempijja added that all the cattle must be registered and given birth certificates.

“For cattle farmers, it is going to be worse. You will be registered as a farmer, the cow will be registered, numbered and will have a birth certificate because the importers of our products demand meat for cows aged between 15 to 24 months. So we are going to sell [the meat] depending on their age,” he added.

He stressed further that an audit team from the European Union is expected in Uganda in September to ensure that all farmers producing commodities destined for Europe are registered.

“Apart from traceability of the products, the team also wants to ensure that farmers benefit directly because many of them are cheated by middlemen. Government will not cater for those who defy the order when it comes to markets,” he announced, refuting allegations that the registration is aimed at imposing a tax on them.

President Yoweri Museveni, in a message delivered by Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, said Ugandans need to be more competitive, so they can benefit from the international market.

“People want to know what they are buying to eat, where it is coming from, its quality and what they are spending their money on.

“Registering farmers is a major requirement; we cannot do without it and if we ignore it, we will lose to competition in the international market,” President Museveni said.