Maize is one of the major staple foods in Uganda, providing over forty percent of a Ugandan's daily calorie consumption. To meet the country's maize demand, most farmers grow some maize on their land, with over two million Ugandans counting on maize as their main source of income. In 2023, the approximate wholesale price range for Uganda maize is between US$ 0.18 and US$ 0.2 per kilogram or between US$ 0.08 and US$ 0.09 per pound(lb).

Uganda's maize consumption is projected to reach 1.9 million metric tons by 2026. This is a slight increase from 2021 levels of 1.8 million metric tons, growing at an average rate of 0.6% year-on-year since 2017. In 2021, Uganda ranked 19th, overtaken by Colombia with 1.8 million metric tons. Uganda's maize production is also set to reach 2.9 million metric tons by 2026.

In the face of complex climate risks in Uganda, maize breeders are ensuring smallholder farmers have access to high-yielding and stress-tolerant maize varieties. Breeding programs from Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and private companies have worked together to reach real progress – and have identified steps to advance even further.

“There is a need for public-private partnerships in development and delivery new genetics to farmers in Uganda.” The sustained increase in maize production in the country could be attributed to various factors, including the infusion of improved stress-tolerant maize varieties and replacement of obsolete varieties, coupled with productivity increase by both small- and emerging large-scale farmers.

Maize is the most important grain in Uganda, produced by about 1.8 million farmers who are mostly smallholders allocating less than 2 Ha to maize production for household consumption and food security purposes. As over 70% of the Ugandan population relies on maize for food and income, there is the importance of continued investment in breeding programs to develop stress-tolerant maize varieties.