Give priority to irrigation, say farmers

Masaka.

Local leaders and farmers in Kalungu and Masaka districts have asked the ministry of Agriculture to divert the $248m (about Shs900 billion) meant for the Agriculture Cluster Development (ACP) project to promote irrigation.
The money from the World Bank- funded project has been earmarked for buying farm inputs such as fertilisers, pest control chemicals and seedlings.
However, during the launch of the six-year ACP project in Masaka District last week, the beneficiaries cited the unpredictable weather patterns, which has resulted in prolonged dry spells that could lead to crop failure.
“Distributing seeds and farm implements is a good idea, but a clear irrigation plan should be put in place first. For plants to grow well, there has to be sufficient supply of water in the soil all the time, but due to changing rain patterns, we are no longer sure when rain will start and end. Farming has become a risky business today,” Mr Charles Sserwanja, the Bukulula Sub-county councillor in Kalungu District, said. According to weather experts, Uganda’s rainy seasons are increasingly becoming unpredictable yet the country mainly depends on rain water to sustain agriculture.
Mr David Segawa, a farmer in Kalungu District, said the ACP project will not be so successful unless irrigation is prioritised.
The State Minister for Agriculture, Mr Christopher Kibazanga, who commissioned the project, said government would devise ways of redesigning the ACP.
Mr Kibanzanga said the project, if brought before the funders next month, can be redesigned.
He, however, said the project, in its current design, has some component of irrigation although it will benefit farmers in areas where irrigation schemes have existed before.
The project is expected to be piloted in Kalungu, Amuru, Nebbi, Iganga and Ntungamo districts.