Farmers’ fair puts north into spotlight

The Gulu agricultural show exposed the potential of developing farming in northern Uganda and it put the region’s recovery into the limelight, writes Adolf Mbaine.

For the two decades government soldiers battled rebels of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) in the northern part of Uganda, the region was known more for death and squalor than anything else. Both local and foreign press reports painted the picture of an area whose recovery bordered on the irredeemable, even long after the guns had fallen silent.

But slightly more than two years since the LRA last made an attack on northern Uganda, any visitor to Gulu would be forgiven to think the war ended 10 or more years ago. Gulu town is bursting with activity and the faces of the people have changed from expressions of fear and despair to hope and confidence.

It is this resilience and determination of the people of northern Uganda to re-build their lives quickly after the war that the Uganda Seed Trade Association (USTA) and Crop Life Uganda sought to propel when both organisations, with support from Usaid LEAD project, organised the Gulu Agricultural Trade Show that ran from February 9 to 11 at Gulu’s Pece Stadium. The theme of the Show was “Agricultural Transformation for Food Security and Income Generation in Northern Uganda: Improved Access to Agro-inputs.”

The show attracted over 50 exhibitors including tractor companies, seed companies agro-processing companies, microfinance institutions, universities, advisory service providers and NGOs.
The chairperson of the show’s organising committee, Dr Ruth Sebuliba, told journalists during a press briefing at Pece Stadium that there was focus on northern Uganda to assist its recovery from war as fast as possible.

“We are focusing on northern Uganda because of its recovery effort after the war. Gulu is also far from Jinja where annual agricultural shows have always been held. We shall have another agricultural show next year in the north at a venue that we shall communicate later,” she said.

The recovery of the north and the relevance of the agricultural fair were well captured in the statements of the chief guest at the opening ceremony on February 11, the Gulu vice Chairperson Mr Makmot Kitara.

“We are proud we have returned to our villages after many years in the camps. We are preparing for agricultural production. This trade show will help us raise our crop yields through the use of the right seeds and farm implements,” he told the exhibitors and show goers. Mr Kitara also said that Gulu District leadership was happy that USTA had chosen Gulu Town to host the event. He urged the people of northern Uganda to buy seeds at the show as they were cheaper and coming at a time when the rains are due and planting about to begin.

Speaking during a conference for the exhibitors at Churchill Hotel on the outskirts of Gulu town, Presidential Advisor on agriculture, Prof J.J Otim pointed to the huge potential of the north with rich soils and unutilised land, adding that if given the best, Gulu would easily overtake Kampala in trading in agricultural commodities. Prof Otim told the meeting that government was committed to improving commercial agriculture through provision of credit to commercial farmers at good terms by financial institutions regulated by Bank of Uganda.

Under the scheme, the government is covering 50 per cent of the risk for the financial institutions so that they can lend to commercial farmers at an interest rate of not more than 10 per cent. Other terms include a grace period of three years, re-payment period of three to eight years and collateral in the form of the machinery the farmer is buying. According to Prof. Otim, commercial banks have Shs60bn available for this purpose in the current financial year, which he advised farmers in the north to take advantage of.

Mr Martin McSteen, representative for northern Uganda for Usaid LEAD project, also the sponsors of the fair, said for the first time in a long time, the north was open to development and could become a food basket again.

“Since security has improved, we must adopt a long term view and seize the opportunities that have become available,” he told the exhibitors, adding that the trade show had exposed the high potential of developing business in northern Uganda.