By: Ismael Kasooha
MUBENDE
The Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Nabbanja Robinah has begun the mobilization of local leaders to embrace the campaign of farmer mobilisation as a continuation of the President’s Wealth Creation campaign done at regional level.
Nabbanja said that His Excellency the President wrote to her on May 31, 2022, outlining six policy proposals that should be pursued to develop the agricultural sector.
The six policy proposals were Production, multiplication, distribution, certification of seeds and stocking materials, Disease control, Agricultural mechanisation and irrigation, Farmer education and mobilisation.
The others are Partnerships with big land owners and Interventions in the fisheries sector.
Nabbanja, while meeting local leaders from the districts of Mityana, Mubende, Kyankwanzi and Kiboga said that leaders must be united to help farmers regardless of their political or religious affiliations.
“This exercise should not be politicized because it is meant to benefit all farmers whether they belong the NRM, NUP or FDC. The leaders must come out and mobilize the farmers to actively participate in this expo so as to increase on production, productivity and profitability,” said Nabbanja. She appealed to local leaders in greater Mubende to ensure that they move in unison to promote the President’s policy proposals for social and economic transformation.
However, Nabbanja said that the realisation of the target hinges on the three P’s which is High Production, High Productivity and high profitability.
Leaders in all the districts welcomed the idea and promised to support the intervention for the good of the farmers.
Kiboga District leaders attending the Agricultural Expo at the District Headquarters on Sunday
Kibedi Ensi Egumire, the Mityana North MP and Catherine Nalweyiso the speaker Mityana District Local Government said that the initiative had come at the right time when farmers were busy preparing for planting season.
Local leaders in Kyankwanzi District asked the government to provide water for production if production was to improve.
The leaders including LC leaders, Resident District Commissioner, extension staff and opinion leaders raised concerns while meeting the Prime Minister at Kyankwanzi District headquarters.
The leaders said that agricultural production was being impeded by fake inputs on the market on top of high prices.
Biryeri Scovia, a District Councilor at Kyankwanzi District Council and John Kivumbi NRM chairman Nsambya sub county said that government needed to at least set up agrochemical shops in all districts to fight fake inputs and help farmers from making losses and also avail water for production.
The RDC Kyankwanzi Sharon Ankunda said that animal thieves were becoming more sophisticated and had resorted to using expensive vehicles such as V8’s to transport stolen animals.
Chrsitine Sendawula the woman MP Kyankwanzi said that thieves had confidence of stealing and slaughtering their animals and had the courage of writing notices of how they had used a Muslim to slaughter animals and that the people could eat the offals and other remains.
The Prime Minister Rt Hon. Nabbanja Robinah assured the people of Kyankwanzi and Kiboga that president Yoweri Museveni had decided to address the issues affecting farmers to ensure there was production, productivity and profitability.
She appealed to local leaders to mobilize the farmers to turn up in big numbers for the agricultural expo slated for 18-20th August 2023.
Kyankwanzi District local leaders attending the mobilization meeting for the upcoming Expo at the District Headquarters
Kiwanda Godfrey Suubi, the NRM CEC member for Buganda region said the NRM was premised on five core principles of unity, regional markets, socio-economic transformation.
In Kiboga the Prime Minister met leaders at the District Headquarters led by the Energy and Mineral Development Minister Dr. Ruth Nankabirwa who asked leaders to be role models in wealth creation and socio-economic transformation.
The farmer education, mobilisation, value addition and service delivery campaign is slated to start in August this year with Greater Mubende before moving to other districts in the country.
The agri-business expos shows will bring together small-holder farmers, large-scale farmers, farmer associations, agricultural researchers, and agri-business companies to exchange ideas on how best to improve production, productivity and profitability.
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