Mufti Mubajje launches Halaal Farmer's Centre in Yumbe

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Mufti of Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), Hajji Dr Ramadan Shaban Mubajje, has cautioned farmers and traders against the sale and use of fake agricultural inputs, warning that the practice is undermining food security and livelihoods across the country.

While in Yumbe on Wednesday, Mubajje noted that many farmers invest heavily at the start of the planting season, only to incur losses due to poor-quality and counterfeit inputs.

He warned that the practice of selling low-quality and fake inputs is not only unlawful in the country but also sinful before the Almighty Allah.

"Selling fake agricultural inputs is not only illegal but also sinful because it harms innocent farmers who depend on genuine products for their survival,” Mufti added.

Mubajje made the remarks when launching Halaal Farmer's Centre implemented by Matugga Industries and Logistics Hub Limited in partnership with Uganda Muslim Supreme Council in Yumbe on Wednesday, April 22.

He said the partnership majorly targets the Parish Development Model (PDM) beneficiaries who are often victims of the circumstances as they try to work hard to earn from the sh1m.

"Some PDM beneficiaries invest in enterprises including: food and cash crops, poultry, goats, but most times they record losses because of fake inputs such as feeds, fertilisers, and seeds," he said.

"This partnership is a way of addressing the challenges through the sale of genuine products and offering extension services," he added.

Mubajje further urged the Muslims to work hard and invest in Agriculture as a way to come out of poverty.

Mufti Mubajje and Yumbe district leaders inspecting the Halaal Farmer's Center Yumbe.

He said that with the PDM in place, there is no reason for a Muslim to remain poor.

Hajjat Fiona Migadde, the Executive Director for Matugga Industries and Logistics Hub Limited, said similar centres are also established in Arua City, Koboko Municipality, Moyo town and Adjuman town.

She revealed that extension services and offering of knowledge to the farmers are the major objectives of the centre.

"Our major aim here is to assist a farmer to invest in agriculture and reap the benefits from it. We shall have central knowledge sharing for the farmers as well as do the extension services," said Migadde.

Migadde added that another principle of the centre is to sell items to farmers at low prices, as the religion always emphasises, saying that hiking prices to gain is sinful.

Yumbe District Khadi, Sheikh Swaib Allahai Achiga, lauded UMSC for the initiative.

He said, for decades, the challenge in the district has been how to get genuine inputs.

He noted that under the different government programs, lots of seeds and inputs were delivered in the district for the farmers, but lack of extension services and low-quality supplies frustrated the efforts. 

"In the 1990s, Yumbe was the food basket of the West Nile region, but these days, it's the basket of poverty because the farmers try to grow crops but reap nothing," he said.

Abdulmutalib Mahamoud Asiku, the LC 5 chairperson of Yumbe district, described the initiative as a timely intervention for the community.

He said under PDM over sh70.3b has been given out to over 80,000 farmers in the district, but the impact is very low due to complaints over fake inputs.

He urged that the centres be established in at least every constituency in the district (Aringa South, Aringa North, Aringa East and Aringa County) in order to take services nearer to the population.

Asiku further called on the UMSC to lobby for irrigation system for the farmers in order to get reed of the harsh climatic conditions in the district.

Dr Moses Cox Ssempebwa, the District Chief Administrative Officer for Yumbe, said the initiative is supplementing the government's efforts in promoting household income and fighting poverty.

He said that as a district, they are facing challenges in extension services due to the large population.

"Having the component of extension services in the centre is a plus for us. Yumbe district has over 900,000 nationals and over 200,000 refugees depending on less than 30 extension staff, which is so stretching," he said.

Ssempebwa added that the issue of hiking prices, especially for the farmers, is another major challenge for farmers in the district.

He believes the Halaal Farmer's Centre, working under the principles of Islam, will help farmers move a milestone in production.

Aringa North Constituency Member of Parliament-elect, Karim Musa, commented on the UMSC for the centre.

He said before joining politics, he tried supporting the community through provisions of agricultural inputs, but faced significant challenges of fake inputs, which often cause losses.

He encouraged the farmers to utilise the centre in order to eradicate poverty and promote household income.

What farmers say

Rt. Maj Noah Achikule, a prominent farmer in the district, recalls counting losses of over 20 acres due to fake inputs. 

He said the Halaal Farmer's Centre is a huge relief to the community.

Achikule, however, decried the use of rudimentary tools like hand hoes for farming instead of tractors. 

Raima Adiru, another farmer in the district, said she was relying on the local seeds and inputs in the open market, often planted without knowledge. 

She believes the Halaal Farmer's Centre will help boost agriculture in the district.