Exploit land to eradicate poverty, says Museveni

By Vision reporter

President Yoweri Museveni has urged the people of Ntungamo district to maximally exploit their land  by practicing modern commercial farming in order to effectively eradicate poverty at house hold level.

“How can one fruitfully utilize say four acres of land? One acre should be for clonal coffee, the other for fruit trees, the third for elephant grass and the fourth for banana plantation. At the back yard add poultry, apiary and piggery among others.  I have come to re-ignite among you the fight against poverty. Every family must work hard and create wealth, we want to eradicate poverty,” he said.

The President, who was accompanied by the First lady who is also Minister for Karamoja Affairs Mrs. Janet Museveni,  the area MP, made the remarks while addressing residents’ of Kikoni Model Parish at Mutanoga Primary school grounds, after assessing the progress made by farmers now practicing modern agriculture in the area.

They visited the farms of Mrs. Plaxeda Hamanya, Mr. Moses Mugisha,Mr. Mugume Eliasaph and that of Mr. Coleb Tayebwa who, through modern farming in land holdings of less than 5 acres, are earning  comfortable incomes annually. The farmers are the beneficiaries of the Presidential Initiative against Hunger and Poverty program and are serving as role models for the residents of Kikoni village in Ntungamo district.

Museveni also commissioned Kikoni Model Village SACCO and donated to the SACCO sh30m.

The President encouraged the people to identify profitable enterprises and ensure that the income generated is either equal or more than the expenditure.

He urged farmers with vast pieces of land to grow more maize that will be processed and will mitigate high prices of poultry feeds. He promised to provide them with a maize mill, a poultry feeds processing machine and also extend electricity from Ntungamo Municipality to the area.

Museveni further warned the people of Ntungamo district against marrying many wives and unplanned children citing the two as the main source of poverty.

Museveni also asked them to avoid the practice of fragmenting land to divide among children but instead encourage them divide shares of the income generated from the land.