agriculture 22 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Museveni Urges Ugandans to Embrace Matooke Farming for Economic Upliftment
President Yoweri Museveni has encouraged Ugandans to prioritize matooke farming and value addition, highlighting the crop's potential to significantly improve livelihoods and national food security. The call was made during a "Tooke Run" event aimed at promoting the staple food. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/matooke-is-key-to-better-livelihoods-museveni-tells-ugandans-5504826
President Yoweri Museveni is urging Ugandans to harness the economic potential of matooke, advocating for increased cultivation and value addition to transform their financial well-being and bolster food security.
This message was delivered by Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, on behalf of the President during the “Tooke Run” marathon in Bushenyi-Ishaka Municipality. The event, co-organized by the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID) and the Uganda Olympic Committee, aimed to promote matooke as both a nutritious food and a significant income generator.
“Today matooke is making history by choosing a staple food as a flagship for this international activity,” the President stated, emphasizing that matooke represents not only health but also cultural identity for numerous Ugandan tribes. He stressed that celebrating matooke alongside linguistic diversity underscores the importance of valuing Uganda’s rich heritage.
The President further elaborated that supporting matooke farming initiatives and investing in value addition directly contributes to enhancing household incomes and ensuring a stable food supply. He linked healthy living to proper nutrition, stating, “When you run for Tooke, you promote health because food sustains us and we derive specific nutrition from matooke, in particular energy which keeps us moving on.”
Initiatives focused on promoting local food production and adding value are designed to raise public awareness about nutritional needs and stimulate wealth creation. President Museveni lauded Prof. Florence Muranga, the PIBID director, for her strategies in matooke value addition, which are reportedly boosting the economy in the Ankole Sub-region.
PIBID, established in 2005, has been instrumental in developing the banana industry through research, value addition, and commercialization, leading to products like matooke flour, biscuits, bread, and cakes. Despite these efforts, challenges such as low market prices for matooke persist for farmers.