By Diana N. Kintu
Government handed over 150 more tractors, and was honest that it barely moves the needle.
Most of Uganda’s farmers are still working the land with a hand hoe. This week, the government handed over 150 more tractors and was honest that it barely moves the needle.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) launched and commissioned 150 Single Axle Tractors and Implements, popularly known as power tillers or walk-behind tractors, destined for farmers across the country.
Speaking at the handover, Minister of State for Agriculture Hon. Desire Muhooza framed the moment against the scale of who actually farms in Uganda.
“We intend to achieve this by transforming subsistence farming into commercial agriculture through promoting the adoption of appropriate and affordable mechanisation technologies, moving away from rudimentary hand tools,” Muhooza said, noting that 68 percent of Ugandans are smallholder farmers.
The 150 tractors add to equipment already distributed in previous years: 650 high-capacity tractors with matching implements, plus 1,000 single-axle tractors, delivered to farmers across all 146 District Local Governments, which the Ministry says has meaningfully expanded the acreage under cultivation nationwide. During the 2025/2026 Financial Year, the Ministry allocated UGX 57.2 billion to procure 200 additional Walk-Behind Tractors with accessories, with further mechanisation units still in procurement.
Minister of State for Agriculture Hon. Desire Muhooza framed the moment against the scale of who actually farms in Uganda.
The new equipment will be deployed by scale: 135 Hp tractors to Zonal Agricultural Mechanisation Centres, 90 Hp tractors to large-scale farmers, 75 Hp tractors to medium-scale farmers, and 200 Single Axle Tractors specifically to small-scale farmers under the Parish Development Model.
Access won’t be unconditional. Beneficiaries must sign a renewable three-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry, contingent on the equipment actually being put to productive use.
The Ministry will support routine maintenance for up to 1,000 hours of use, and will train and skill equipment operators ahead of deployment, with training beginning 28th September 2026 in beneficiary districts. Regular monitoring of usage and maintenance is planned to cut down on breakdowns and extend the machinery’s working life.
The Ministry is also building longer-term infrastructure behind the equipment itself. It has begun rehabilitating and equipping the Namalere National Agricultural Mechanisation Referral Centre as a Centre of Excellence for training, upgrading and accrediting equipment operators, mechanics and technicians. Twenty Zonal Agricultural Mechanisation Centres are planned nationwide, starting with Mbale, Dokolo, Iganga, Nabilatuk, Soroti, Mpigi, Kiryandongo and Kiruhura.
Despite all of it, Muhooza was direct about how far this still falls short of actual need.
“Agricultural mechanisation equipment currently covers only about 4% of national demand and cannot yet reach all deserving farmers, given the overwhelming need across the country,” Muhooza said.
She said the Ministry plans to procure additional units to expand coverage, and will need increased budgetary allocation to meet the scale of demand still unmet.
For the smallholder farmers receiving tractors this week, the equipment is real and immediate. For the vast majority still waiting, the Minister’s own number does the talking: at 4 per cent coverage, a hand hoe remains the tool most Ugandan farmers will be using for a while yet.
Source: Speech by Hon. Desire Muhooza, Minister of State for Agriculture, at the Commissioning and Handover of Agricultural Mechanisation Equipment and Machinery, MAAIF Kampala Offices, Wandegeya, 19th September 2026.