Posted on July, 18, 2019 at 10:42 am
By Prossy Nandudu
Farmers in Kigezi region have asked the Government to consider them when constructing fruit, grain processing and storage facilities in the country.
The farmers represented by Ambrose Ayinebyona, a farmer based in Kabale, said because Kigezi region is mountainous, there is an assumption that there are no crops that need proper storage.
Ayinebyona said the region grows sorghum, maize and beans, which he said need drying and storage facilities, especially during the rainy season.
He made the call recently during a post-budget dialogue on what farmers want to see in the agriculture budget for the next financial year.
“We listened to the budget speech and heard of the Government’s plan to construct fruit processing and storage facilities in different parts of the country, but this has not been done in our region,” Ayinebyona said.
He added that most of them sell their produce to businessmen from Rwanda and sometimes from Kenya who pay them less claiming that the grain being sold is of poor quality.
“When we get these facilities, farmers in my region will also earn more money and create jobs for the young people,” he added.
While reading this year's budget, finance minister Matia Kasaija said the Government will start providing storage facilities and linking farmers to agro-processing facilities to support agro-industrialisation. First beneficiaries include Bunyangabu, Kibuku, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Ntoroko and Nakaseke districts.
According to the agriculture ministry, the storage facilities are part of the 120 that will be built countrywide by the Government in partnership with UKs Alvan Blanch.
The post-budget dialogue was organised by Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM), CARITAS Uganda and the Uganda Farmers Common Voice Platform at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
Source: New Vision