Parliament’s committee on agriculture has recommended that the Government pays all tea seedling farmers in Zombo district who have been verified within the financial year to protect them from further economic loss.

Presenting the committee’s report on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, deputy chairperson Linda Auma (Lira District Woman, Independent) said in 2022 the Government agreed to a one-off arrangement to procure and distribute tea seedlings across the 16 tea growing districts including Zombo, the seedlings have not been procured to-date. This was during the Plenary sitting on Tuesday, 2nd April 2024.

Parliament adopted the report and asked finance minister Matia Kasaija to take action and report on compensation of nursery tea farmers in Zombo District within two weeks.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, who chaired the House, said the ministry of finance should take action on the report.

MPs adopted the report of the committee on Agriculture on a petition by Zombo Tea Nursery Operators and Farmers’ Association on the delayed supply of tea seedlings to farmers in the district.

Auma explained that the agriculture ministry (MAAIF’s) invited verified tea nursery operators to provide information about the quantity of tea seedlings they had in stock for procurement by the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS).

Zombo district local government in response to the ministry’s communication proceeded to identify, verify and instructed the selected nursery operators to raise over 10 million seedlings for its tea farmers.

According to Auma, the finance ministry should compensate the originally verified tea nursery operators in Zombo whose seedlings have 'over-grown and are no longer viable for planting’.

Call for the establishment of a tea factory

The committee called on the Government and Zombo district local government to resolve the ownership of 10 acres of land offered by the Alur Kingdom to the Government towards establishment of a tea factory.

“Zombo district local government should urgently follow up and complete the process of survey, registration and transfer of ownership of the land availed by the Zeu community for the tea factory,” read the report in part.

Auma said based on availability of the land, the Government should disburse shillings 19.5 billion to expedite the establishment of the tea factory in Zombo. She added that the establishment of a tea factory in Zombo has the potential to stimulate economic development in the region through creation of employment opportunities, provision of a market for mature tea, technology transfer and payment of taxes.

Gabriel Okumu (Okoro County, NRM) said several tea nursery operators have lost their livelihoods as a result of delayed compensation by the Government.

Esther Afoyochan (Zombo District Woman) called on MPs to take advantage of the current budgeting process and ensure that compensation of the farmers is in the budget of 2024/2025.

“This report should be backed by finances so that people from Zombo who have been suffering with tea can benefit. A lot of tea has turned into trees, people utilised their land and have no more land for other crops. We therefore, implore the House to support us during the budgeting process,” Afoyocan said.

Sensitisation of locals key

Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka urged MPs to educate the population about agriculture, saying some people end up frustrated because they engage in farming without the required information.

“We must get a common position on what we are going to tell our people. What is for intensive agriculture and what is for extensive agriculture. What do we do with a four-acre plan? What do we do with 100 acres? We cannot continue exciting our people with everything that seems to have money and then when we come here, we say they have lost,” Kiwanuka said.

Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi said the Government has to compensate the tea nursery operators since they were verified and given a go-ahead to grow the seedlings.

“Tea is the fourth largest agricultural export that is why the Government encouraged the people of Zombo to venture in that field. We have excited people and not shouldered them,” Ssenyonyi said.