Key signals this week:
1.⁠ ⁠Rainfall remains active across most farming regions, especially Eastern Uganda, the Lake Victoria Crescent, Central Uganda, and parts of the western highlands. Farmers should watch for erosion, waterlogging, poor road access, and crop disease pressure.

2.⁠ ⁠Maize prices rose about 4.5% from March to April, while beans remain about 19% below April 2025 levels. Central Uganda and the Lake Victoria Crescent continue to show stronger maize prices.

3.⁠ ⁠Farmers should prioritize drainage, first weeding, careful maize top-dressing on moist but not waterlogged soils, and close scouting for fall armyworm, bean diseases, banana disease, and livestock health problems.

Karamoja and Northern Uganda remain especially vulnerable because many crops are still in establishment or early growth stages, so market dependence remains high before harvest relief arrives.

Maize prices have risen the fastest since January, moving from UGX 1,316.78/kg to UGX 1,472.12/kg nationally. Beans and sorghum are also higher, while millet is slightly lower.

Useful rain is expected across several regions, especially western, central, eastern, and lake-belt areas. However, April rainfall remains below normal in many places, so farmers should not assume the season is fully secure yet.

Uganda’s outlook is mixed, but manageable. Rainfall is expected to be patchy and below usual in many areas, while Lake Victoria and some wetter zones still face storm, humidity, and waterlogging risks.

This week, Karamoja and much of northern Uganda stay hot and fairly dry, while western, central, eastern, and Lake Victoria Crescent areas should expect more storms and humidity. Prices remain strong, especially for beans, sorghum, millet, and bananas.

Rains support planting but short dry breaks and humidity raise risk. Prices mixed. Farmers urged to weed early, top-dress carefully, and monitor pests.