THE National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) technical officials at the sub-county levels have been ordered to hire tractors and to give farmers land for agricultural production.
The NAADS executive director, Dr. Silim Nahdy, said a minimum of 200 acres should be opened up in every sub-county in preparation for the planting season. “NAADS is under pressure, scrutiny and criticism.
We do not have an option but to give land to farmers early,” said Nahdy, who was represented by Eng. Dan Kilimani, the NAADS engineering support assistant.
Nahdy said farmers will use their forums to get part of the funds for food security and technology development to implement the scheme. Kilimani said the initiative was intended to reduce dependence of farmers on hand tools.
“With the majority of our small farmers using hand hoes and a few using oxen, agricultural production is inefficient and full of drudgery,” said Kilimani. He said this had caused the youth to avoid farming.
Kilimani was presenting a paper with the theme ‘The role of NAADS in promoting mechanization’ during workshops held in Masindi, Kamwenge district. Kilimani said Hoima had registered success stories following the inception of the tractor scheme.
The Hoima district NAADS coordinator, Dr. Scola Bwali, said the inception of the scheme in 2003 had increased food production.
“Farmers were constrained by shortage of labour and dependence on rudimentary tools. This greatly reduced their yields,” Bwali said. She said the introduction of tractors in the district had brought a considerable increase in rice production from 800kgs in 2003 to 1,800 or 2000kgs per acre.
“In 2003, Hoima district had three rice mills, now we have 64, Bwali boasted.
