A winner of the Best Farmers Awards is setting his sights on doubling poultry production after returning from a study tour of the Netherlands with new ideas on modern farming, renewable energy and efficient farm management.
Zubair Mukaaya, whose poultry enterprise currently produces more than 10,000 chickens every week, says the exposure has strengthened his ambition to expand production to 20,000 birds weekly while mentoring more farmers across Uganda.
The Best Farmers Awards, organised by dfcu Bank in partnership with Vision Group and other partners, recognise outstanding agricultural entrepreneurs while equipping them with access to finance, mentorship, knowledge-sharing and international exposure.
For Mukaaya, the recognition marked a turning point for his business, increasing its visibility, attracting more customers and inspiring confidence to scale up operations further.
Mukaaya’s journey into agriculture began with rearing local chickens before transitioning to the commercial Kroiler breed. Over the years, he built a thriving poultry enterprise anchored on an outgrower model that supports other farmers.
Through the arrangement, farmers supply eggs to his hatchery, where they are incubated and the birds are raised to market weight, enabling more producers to participate in the poultry value chain.
He says access to agricultural financing has been instrumental in sustaining growth, allowing the business to invest in feed, infrastructure, equipment and the working capital needed to maintain large-scale production.
According to Mukaaya, affordable and structured financing remains essential for farmers seeking to expand their operations.
One of the highlights of winning the award was a study visit to the Netherlands, where Mukaaya observed advanced farming systems and the widespread integration of solar energy into agricultural and industrial operations.
He believes adopting similar energy-efficient practices in Uganda could reduce production costs and improve the competitiveness of local farmers.
Looking ahead, Mukaaya intends to continue sharing the knowledge gained from the Netherlands with aspiring farmers through regular training sessions hosted at his farm.
He also hopes to inspire more young people to embrace poultry farming as a viable business, saying professional agriculture has the potential to create jobs, improve livelihoods and transform local economies.
