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Members of Parliament have asked the government to initiate more solar-powered water and irrigation projects to boost productivity in the agriculture sector. 

They say increased farmers' productivity would earn the country more revenue from farming as a business and plow back into making more schemes.

The legislators were last week commenting about the sh2.5 trillion (600m Euros) solar-powered water supply and irrigation scheme initiated by the Government and implemented by the Ministry of Water and Environment. 

The ministry contracted Nexus Green (UK) Limited, which is supposed to design, supply, and install solar-powered water supply and irrigation systems in every constituency countrywide. 

The money to finance the project was a loan from the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF), co-funded by the Government of Uganda.    

“If we had our own money we would do so many of these projects so that we boost our productivity and earn more money to plough back into making more schemes,” says Dr. Emmanuel Otala, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural resources.

During an oversight tour of the Central and Western regions, the MPs commended the Government for investing in the project, which targets building at least one scheme in each constituency across the country and is intended to benefit rural farmers to increase their productivity.  

Dr. Otala said the project was conceived by the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Government seven years ago, with each scheme costing between sh600m and sh800m.

“The road to what we are seeing today has been long, conceived seven years ago and just seeing it beginning to be commissioned talks to the fact that it has not been an easy thing,” he explained.

He says the delay was partly caused by lack of finances for counter-funding by the government, worsened by the onset of COVID-19.

“But today I am happy that the project seems to be showing more tangible results. I am impressed that the NRM government has done a tremendous project for the people of this country,” Dr. Otala, who prior to this tour led legislators on a tour of the Eastern and Northern regions to assess the progress of the same schemes.

The MPs, moving in teams with officials of the Ministry of Water and Environment and Nexus Green (UK) Limited, visited Lutente passion fruit and tomato farm in Lukaya, Kalungu district where they interacted with Muhammad Ssonko, a passion and tomato farmer who part from selling in Kampala, exports the fruits to Kigali, Rwanda. 

Nexus Green and ministry of water officials at Mpumudde farm in Kyazanga.

He together with three other farmers benefit from a solar-powered irrigation system installed by Nexus Green (UK) Limited.

The MPs also visited Mpumudde farm managed by the Rev. Fr. Mbaaga Ssenkungu, the parish priest of St. Jude Kyazanga Catholic parish in Lwengo district that leads 58 farmers supposed to benefit from the irrigation scheme. 

The ministry was represented by Eng. Ronald Kato Kayizzi, commissioner for water for production.

In Kyotera, the MPs visited Mityebiri coffee farm in Kasasa sub-county, which belongs to state minister for micro-finance Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, and Bugo passion fruit farm owned by four farmers in Lwankoni sub-county. 

St. Jude Kyazanga Parish priest, Fr. Mbaaga at the community farm.

Earlier, the MPs made a courtesy call to Kyotera district headquarters where they were briefed by the LC5 chairman, Kintu Kisekulo, about the progress of farming and the environment in the area.  

In Western Uganda, the team visited Kyamuhunga domestic solar-powered water system in Bushenyi district, where safe water is powered by solar and supplied to over 1,400 homesteads, and later visited Orutooma irrigation scheme in Kiruhura district.  

According to Dr. Otala, the project is meant to transform the lives of most Ugandans through increasing agricultural productivity and providing access to cleaner safer water supply. 

MPs tour Kasolo coffee farm. (All Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba)

However, he said the legislators would discuss the matter where a project benefitting an individual instead of the entire community, adding that most MPs desired to see schemes benefit the masses.

“Where an individual is benefitting from the scheme is because of the land tenure system in Uganda where most of the land is privately-owned and difficult to bring a number of villagers together on an individual farm,” he explained.

Otala says the schemes are also covering a smaller area, of approximately 12.5 acres of land for the irrigation schemes, saying this was a small percentage and it would take the country years to benefit many people.

Imana Iraguha, an employee of Muhammad Ssonko, a farmer at Lutente in Kalungu district shows freshly harvested tomatoes for export to Rwanda. The Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources visited the farm as part of their tour of Central and Western Uganda to assess project implementation by Nexus Green.

In the short run, he says, the project might look expensive, but in long term, with most schemes having a lifespan of 20 years, it is bound to benefit more people and have an impact on the ground.

Impressed by farmers at Bugo Farm in Kyotera district, Dr. Otala says they are already reaping big, selling a sack of passion fruits at sh1.2m and producing eight sacks per day.

“Those farmers are already seeing transformation in their lives,” he explained.
Several legislators asked the ministry officials to ensure that each scheme benefits more people to enable more to get out of poverty.

Eng told the legislators According to Eng. Kato, the Government intention is to cover the entire country, although they were limited by resources.

Tomato harvesting.

The intention is to turn farming into a business and stop the losses many farmers incur due to prolonged droughts.

“We have started with a key site in every constituency, and it will help us pick data, evaluate processes, improve the designs, and ensure that over time we customize the designs to make them cheaper and cover as many farmers as possible,” he explains, adding that capturing data would help the Government plan better for the farmers.

According to Kato, to achieve transformation from subsistence to commercial farming, the Government was targeting high-value crops to ensure that there is a good return on investments.

The Nexus Green managing director, Eng. Morris Barigye says the schemes are supposed to be model irrigation systems, adding that it explained why the scope is still smaller.  

“With increased coverage and increased irrigation systems, according to the vision of President Yoweri Museveni, you can multiply four-fold the production, which would uplift livelihoods, the farmers, and the entire community,” he explains.

Here are highlights in pictures, all by Eddie Ssejjoba;

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Tomato harvesting

Passion fruit growing

Lutente irrigation scheme water source

Kyotera district LC5 chairman Kintu Kisekulo interacts with MPs.