Gov't to recuit 4000 agric extension workers

(L-R) Director agriculture extension services Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Beatrice Byarugaba interacting with Permanent Secretary Pius Wakabi Kasajja at  a press conference in Kampala. Photo by Nancy Nanyonga.  

The government is set to launch a five-year national agriculture extension policy to focus on commercial farming and value addition.

"68% of Ugandan's population is made up of subsistence farmers; the new policy encourages commercial farming,"ministry of agriculture director for extension services, Beatrice Byarugaba, said.

She said the policy will be launched on Tuesday in Kampala by the Prime Minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda.

The new Policy follows the 2014 uptake of the extension services from the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS).

 Byarugaba said the policy includes research packages that have been formulated in an understandable way by the average farmer.

She noted emphasis on youth and women arguing that the youth will get opportunity of applying the knowledge and skills they obtain from different universities and other institutions of higher learning for better production.

This financial year, over 2500 extension workers were recruited and that the Government recently gave out more sh22b to the ministry for recruitment of the new extension workers both at the district and lower local governments.

Extension workers will coordinate with the Operation Wealth Commanders in districts to ensure the success."We are going to equip the extension workers with motor cycles, pickups to ease transport in field," said Byaruhanga.

Ministry of agriculture permanent secretary, Pius Wakabi, said by the end of this year, over 4000 extension workers will have been recruited countrywide.