Museveni's crops thrive in hot Otuke

Mar 14, 2019

Charles Kigulu Kiwuuwa, Private Secretary to the President in charge of Agriculture said most of the enterprises selected, were as a result of the conference the leaders held with the President in 2012.

AGRICULTURE

OTUKE - When President Yoweri Museveni started the Baralegi Presidential demonstration farm early last year (around March); many people were skeptical that the crops would not do well. 

However, almost a year later, the farm which is about 10 acres, planted with pineapple, coffee, bananas, citrus, mangoes and cassava is thriving.

The demonstration farm is located opposite Baralegi camp, which Museveni set up during the time when Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) had made Baralegi Primary School their sick bay and tactical headquarters.

While the surrounding areas is completely dry and almost nothing green can be seen, the presidential demonstration farm is thriving with coffee leaves all green, well grown cassava, matooke and fruit trees. 

The people in the region usually grow crops like cotton, pigeon peas, sunflower, beans, sorghum and soya beans.

 harles igulu iwuuwa rivate ecretary to the president in charge of griculture Charles Kigulu Kiwuuwa, Private Secretary to the president in charge of Agriculture

 
Charles Kigulu Kiwuuwa, Private Secretary to the President in charge of Agriculture said most of the enterprises selected, were as a result of the conference the leaders held with the President in 2012. 

He said during the conference, the technical people identified the enterprise that can work in their areas. 

Kigulu, who led the journalists around the farm on Wednesday, said in addition to the enterprise crops grown in the region, they have added coffee, a perennial crop. 

He said most of the crops, if managed well can do very well in the region. "If people can adopt and practice the recommended good agronomic practices, they can make lots of money from coffee and banana," Kigulu said. 

itrus thrives only a year after it was plantedCitrus thrives only a year after it was planted

 
He added that they grow all the other crops the local people grow but in a better way. "We want to show them that we are not shifting them from the crops they usually grow but we want them to grow it in a better way," he said. 

Anthony Ocan, the farm's supervisor said they are receiving many visitors to the farm from Acholi region. However, he noted that the local community is still shy about visiting the farm and wondered why. 

Ocan said the one acre of mango farm can fetch sh1,5m on the initial harvest, the bananas can fetch over sh3m.In the subsequent years, it can fetch more money because the fruits and bunches will have increased. 

After the planting exercise in April last year, Museveni called on the local leaders to use the radio stations to educate the people on better agricultural methods.

The President said there is no reason why there should be poverty in country with such soil and weather.

Baralegi Presidential demonstration farm in Okwang Sub-county, Otuke District, Lango sub-region is one of the presidential demonstration farms. Others are located in Kawumu, Luweero district and Kityerera in Mayuge, Busoga sub-region.

 

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