Posted on May, 6, 2019 at 09:42 am
By Christine Kasemiire
Kampala. Government is expected to launch the Agricultural Development Programme, which will group farmers in order to benefit from the oil and gas sector.
Speaking on the sidelines of the national content conference in Kampala, Ms Peninah Aheebwa, the Petroleum Authority of Uganda director technical support services, said oil companies, ministry of Agriculture and the Authority have designed the Agricultural Development Programme, which will prepare farmers for oil and gas opportunities.
“The aim of this programme is to see who is doing what at the moment and see how we can bring them together to build their capacity,” she said.
The programme she said, will initially start with districts in the Albertine Grabben region such as Nwoya, Hoima and Bullisa and later spread to other districts.
The districts have been divided according to value chains. For instance, in Nwoya, focus is on rice and cassava, Hoima on piggery while Bullisa focus will be on dairy produce.
Uganda has been preparing for the oil and gas boom since it was first pronounced to be expected in 2018.
While multitudes of people have been affected by the delay, farmers seem not to be prepared. Farmers at the conference expressed concerns likely to impede their participation.
For instance, Ms Joyce Atimangwe, a chia seed farmer in Soroti, said she has for years been waiting for Uganda National Bureau of Standards to come up with standards for her products in vain.
Other farmers noted strained efforts to acquire credit through the Agricultural Credit Facility from commercial banks.
Source: Daily Monitor