MPs Attack Kisamba Over NAADS, PMA
Jul 08, 2003
Agriculture, animal industry and fisheries minister Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa took the flak from MPs yesterday over the “poor performance†of the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) and the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS).
By Henry Mukasa and Edith Kimuli
Agriculture, animal industry and fisheries minister Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa took the flak from MPs yesterday over the “poor performance†of the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) and the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS).
All MPs who contributed to the debate on the budget speech and the state of the nation address, lamented that the millions sunk into the two programmes were mostly used for workshops instead of facilitating farmers.
“A lot of resources for PMA and NAADS are spent on workshops and lip service is paid instead of the actual work in rural areas. Seminars will not empower farmers to increase production,†Anthony Yiga (Kalungu West) said.
The MP said the ministry needed to facilitate farmers with implements, seeds, pesticides and fertilisers to boost production.
Agago MP Prof. Ogenga Latigo said PMA needed disbanding because it was not targeting the poor considering the way it was implemented. “The sooner you throw it away and replace it with another programme the better,†he said. “The people will beat you because they expect you to deliver,†he added.
Sylvia Sinnabulya (Mubende) wondered why peasants had found it easier to understand and associate with UPE than PMA.
Kisamba, in defence said that it was easier for people at the grassroots to appreciate UPE more than PMA because the education project saved them from paying fees while the agricultural project is just meant to create an environment for investment in the agricultural sector.
Ends
Agriculture, animal industry and fisheries minister Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa took the flak from MPs yesterday over the “poor performance†of the Plan for the Modernisation of Agriculture (PMA) and the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS).
All MPs who contributed to the debate on the budget speech and the state of the nation address, lamented that the millions sunk into the two programmes were mostly used for workshops instead of facilitating farmers.
“A lot of resources for PMA and NAADS are spent on workshops and lip service is paid instead of the actual work in rural areas. Seminars will not empower farmers to increase production,†Anthony Yiga (Kalungu West) said.
The MP said the ministry needed to facilitate farmers with implements, seeds, pesticides and fertilisers to boost production.
Agago MP Prof. Ogenga Latigo said PMA needed disbanding because it was not targeting the poor considering the way it was implemented. “The sooner you throw it away and replace it with another programme the better,†he said. “The people will beat you because they expect you to deliver,†he added.
Sylvia Sinnabulya (Mubende) wondered why peasants had found it easier to understand and associate with UPE than PMA.
Kisamba, in defence said that it was easier for people at the grassroots to appreciate UPE more than PMA because the education project saved them from paying fees while the agricultural project is just meant to create an environment for investment in the agricultural sector.
Ends