Farmers told to form committees
Dec 23, 2010
FARMERS in Kyenjojo district have been urged to form forums at village level in order to fight corruption in the procurement process.
By Hope Mafaranga
FARMERS in Kyenjojo district have been urged to form forums at village level in order to fight corruption in the procurement process.
While launching second phase of the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) at Kyenjojo district headquarters on Monday, the Kyenjojo district deputy chief administrative officer, Peter Ruhweza, said all agricultural activities would be decentralised at the village level to minimise corruption and ensure food security in the district.
Ruhweza said in the NAADS phase II, farmers at village level would select their enterprises, form village executives, village farmers’ forums and procurement committees to limit corruption and delays in the procurement process.
“There was a delay in the procurement process and farmers ended up getting seeds late. This affected their harvest. However with their committees, this will stop,†Ruhweza said.
“Procurement has also been used to inflate prices of planting materials and the farmers have been the most affected,†he added.
Ruhweza also told sub-county chiefs to ensure that agriculture extension workers go to villages to offer technical advice to the farmers.
The district NAADS coordinator, Patrick Muhenda, said the forums would also ensure food security and stable income for households.
Muhenda said with NAADS phase II, Kyenjojo district was slated to become the food basket for Uganda, because it had enough land.
In June, President Yoweri Museveni stopped the release of the NAADS phase I funds pending a review of the programme.
The halt came after complaints that few farmers were benefiting from the programme. There were also complaints of massive corruption and discrimination by NAADS officials implementing the programme.
FARMERS in Kyenjojo district have been urged to form forums at village level in order to fight corruption in the procurement process.
While launching second phase of the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) at Kyenjojo district headquarters on Monday, the Kyenjojo district deputy chief administrative officer, Peter Ruhweza, said all agricultural activities would be decentralised at the village level to minimise corruption and ensure food security in the district.
Ruhweza said in the NAADS phase II, farmers at village level would select their enterprises, form village executives, village farmers’ forums and procurement committees to limit corruption and delays in the procurement process.
“There was a delay in the procurement process and farmers ended up getting seeds late. This affected their harvest. However with their committees, this will stop,†Ruhweza said.
“Procurement has also been used to inflate prices of planting materials and the farmers have been the most affected,†he added.
Ruhweza also told sub-county chiefs to ensure that agriculture extension workers go to villages to offer technical advice to the farmers.
The district NAADS coordinator, Patrick Muhenda, said the forums would also ensure food security and stable income for households.
Muhenda said with NAADS phase II, Kyenjojo district was slated to become the food basket for Uganda, because it had enough land.
In June, President Yoweri Museveni stopped the release of the NAADS phase I funds pending a review of the programme.
The halt came after complaints that few farmers were benefiting from the programme. There were also complaints of massive corruption and discrimination by NAADS officials implementing the programme.