Masaka diocese in campaign to revive cooperatives
Governor Platter looks at processed coffee beans during commissioning of the hulling machine. PHOTO BY FAHAD MALIK JJINGO
In agriculture, working together helps farmers increase their production. But this ingredient is largely lacking where where cooperatives collapsed, leaving farmers working in isolation.
It is with this view that Masaka Diocesan Development Organisation (MADDO)is embarking on a campaign to review the cooperative movement in the region.
Recently, Maddo donated two processing plants to farmers in Rakai District to enable them add value to their products.
The beneficiaries are Kasaali Farmers Cooperative Society, which received a coffee huller and Kasasa Tukole Farmers Cooperative Society, which got a maize mill.
When commissioning the plants, Fr. Peter Senkaayi, the deputy director, Maddo said, the initiative will also enable the farmers process and collectively market their products .
“There is a history of failure of cooperative in this country and we have taken the initiative to revive them,” he said. “Our plan is to reduce the dependence syndrome among the population yet many have land which they can use.”
Fr Senkaayi added that the target is to create 10 cooperative societies.
Both plants, valued at Shs80m, were procured under Maddo’s Lisefap programme, which is funded by Province of Tyrol, Austria .
A team lead by Günther Platter, the Tyrol governor, also visited the projects and said they were impressed with the progress. “Our work is to empower communities to become self–sustaining through agricultural production,” he said.
