Prime
It's becoming harder to earn from agriculture, farmers say
Mr Ocici (left), chats with some of the participants during the training in Matete, Sembabule District. Photo / Michael Kakumirizi
What you need to know:
- Farmers say because of underfunding, government has not supported them in boosting production and productivity
Farmers in Sembabule District have asked government to subsidise irrigation technology and deal with the cost of borrowing by establishing a national agricultural bank if agriculture is to be turned into an income-generating activity at the lowest level of the value chain.
Speaking on the sidelines of a one week Business Enterprise Start-up Tool training in Mateete, Sembabule District organised by Mawogola South MP Gorreth Namugga and Enterprise Uganda under government’s business formalisation agenda, Mr Yasin Lulangwa, a farmer in Mateete sub-county, who spoke on behalf of farmers in the district, said because of underfunding, government had not supported farmers in boosting production and productivity.
“We are finding it difficult to gain from agriculture. We need the hand of government to construct valley dams, subsidise irrigation technology, deal with the cost of borrowing, establish factories to provide markets for produces and facilitate access to high-yielding seedlings,” he said.
Agriculture employs the majority of Ugandans but has over the years received less than 5 percent of the national budget, which is far below the 10 percent commitment under the Maputo Declaration of 2003.
In the 2023/24 budget, the sector received just Shs1.8 trillion, which is about 3.6 percent of the total budget, lower than other sectors such as Governance and Security and Integrated Transport Infrastructure and Services which got Shs9.1 trillion (24.2 percent) and Shs5.1 trillion (13.7 percent), respectively.
Mr Charles Ocici, the Enterprise Uganda executive director, said that as much as the country needs infrastructure in form of good roads and electricity, people can only make profitable use of the same when they engage in income-generating activities.
“Infrastructure developments become relevant when citizens make use of them to facilitate commodity trading. Government should first invest in empowering people to boost household income,” he said.
On her part, Ms Namugga noted that the Ministry of Agriculture had left farmers on their own and had not offered them relevant data on modernization of agriculture.
“Agricultural extension workers are absent to help farmers adopt modern farming techniques, improve productivity, and tackle challenges such as pests and diseases,” she said, noting that government had an uphill task to ensure that more funds are directed towards agricultural research focused on developing improved seed varieties, pest-resistant crops, and better farming techniques.
