The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Vincent Ssempijja, has started a four-day field tour of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces’ (UPDF) food and feeds agricultural projects.

The objective of the field visits is to assess and evaluate the progress of the food production projects being undertaken by the UPDF, military veterans and National Enterprise Cooperation (NEC) in order to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the program. 

He started with UPDF-Katta and Mt Elgon Mbale Veterans Savings and Credit Co-operative Societies (SACCOs) Ltd farms in Bulambuli District on Thursday, November 10, according to the press statement.

In Bulambuli, Ssempijja observed that it was the decision of President Yoweri Museveni and the Commander in Chief of the UPDF together with Cabinet that mooted the idea as a strategy to forestall any likely food insecurity in the country.

He said the UPDF, veterans, NEC and Prisons were brought on board to contribute to efforts aimed at ensuring stable food security in the country.

“We should not let down the President, we should not let down the cabinet and we should not let down the country. If they have believed that we can do it, let us do it beyond their expectations,” Ssempijja implored.

The minister applauded the UPDF’s Chieftaincy of Production and Welfare (CPW) and Military Veterans at Katta farm and Mt. Elgon Mbale Veterans SACCOs, respectively, for their effort towards realizing the President’s wish.

He called upon the soldiers and the veterans to ensure they live harmoniously with the local civilian communities, adding that the UPDF farms should aim at becoming modern projects if they are to interest the local population to join commercial agriculture for national development.

“Our main principle as the Ministry and as UPDF is that we always want to be living in harmony with the population. In fact, we should be helping our people to have better lives,” he said.

On the question of where the proceeds from the UPDF agricultural farms will go, the UPDF CPW, Maj Gen Sam Kiwanuka, said they will in principle be bought by the Uganda Grain Council, stored in the 36 national silos for the country as food reserves.

Gen Kiwanuka, however, noted that there is a need for mechanized farming to cope with the effects of climate change like the shortage of water that Katta farm and Mt Elgon Mbale Veterans SACCOs Ltd farms in Bulambuli are currently experiencing.

He called upon the government to further support the farms with modern farming tools including modern irrigation schemes.