In a bid to improve the productivity of local farmers, President Museveni has today officiated at the handover of value addition equipment and grants to beneficiary farmer organizations at Namalere Agricultural Referral Mechanization Centre in Wakiso.
The President remarked that this project is aimed at reminding farmers that agriculture is a business and they should earn from it by producing more valuable commodities. He added that these equipment is just the beginning pledging that the government is going to do more for the farmers.
The machines that were handed over to the farmers are made here in Uganda by companies like Musa Body limited and the other companies.
The President was happy that the country is moving in the right direction as far as transforming Agriculture from subsistence to commercial is concerned.
Museveni also revealed that government started the Palm oil project in Kalangala and that people on the island have become very rich now because of that project.
The Government is also building a leather processing plant at Kawumu to help does involved in the textile industry in addition to putting up an industry to make paper out of banana fibers since Uganda is spending about $300m importing paper.
The President took opportunity to warn the people of NAADs and the Ministry of Agriculture to save Ugandans from fake imported seeds yet the country has very good local seeds.
He gave the example of onoions where the local breeds are almost in extinction. “For months now, I have boycotted onions because we no longer have ‘serious onions’. We are losing our original seeds with real flavor like onions, tomatoes oranges, and others just because some outsiders said we should lose them. They must be restored,” the President remarked.
