Farmers got a raw deal in budget - critics

By Francis Emorut   

KAMPALA - A group of activists feel that Ugandan farmers got a raw deal in the 2015/16 national budget read by finance minister Matia Kasaija on Thursday.

In his maiden budget of sh23.9 trillion, Kasaija allocated sh479.96 billion to the agriculture sector.

But a group from the civil society point to the 2014 Malabo Declaration, arguing that the sector, which employs a proportionately large number of Ugandans, should have been given more money.

They say the new budget’s share for agriculture falls short of the terms of the Malabo Declaration.

According to the Declaration, nations of the African Union promised to increase efforts toward allocating 10% of respective national budgets for policy implementation for agriculture and rural development.
 

Data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics indicates that 66% of Ugandans are still employed by the agriculture sector – either directly or indirectly.

On Thursday, Charles Olweny, a civil society advocate working with Action Aid Uganda, said local farmers would continue to use “hand hoes since there is no investment in agriculture”.

"For how long are farmers going to be taken for a ride?" he asked.

He made these remarks, alongside other fellow activists, during a budget-listening dialogue at Hotel Africana in Kampala. The dialogue was convened by PELUM and Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group.

Julius Musemeta, an official from PELUM, referred to the national budget as a political tool intended to appeal to economic ends.

"Politics came before the budget. Agriculture is the biggest loser in this year's budget," Musemeta said.
 

Critics feel farmers should have been given more money

‘I am disappointed’

But at the Serena Conference Centre, where the budget was read from, President Yoweri Museveni defended government’s allocation of the biggest share of money to security/defence (sh1.6 trillion) and infrastructure (sh3.2 trillion) instead of the agriculture sector.

“If you are talking about agriculture without roads and security, then you don’t know what you are talking about,” he said after the budget was read.

“And if you still insist that agriculture is not connected to security, I would invite you to go to Somalia and run a coffee farm there,” quipped Museveni.

Meanwhile, at Hotel Africana, Musemeta questioned the government's commitment to fight foot and mouth disease (FMD) as it was allocated only sh1.5b out of sh5b required.

"Uganda is lagging behind other East African countries in managing foot and mouth disease and yet Government talks of export promotion. I am disappointed; the minister of agriculture is presiding over a collapsing sector," he said.

More monitoring
 

Participants at the budget-listening dialogue at Hotel Africana in Kampala. (Credit: Francis Emorut)
 

Betty Aguti, an official from Caritas Uganda, addressing participants. (Credit: Francis Emorut)

Rehema Acom, a farmer from Katakwi, said farmers’ aspirations of having the budget increased on agriculture have been dashed.

Betty Aguti, an official from Caritas Uganda, said Government says it is committed to developing agriculture yet it does not prioritize it.

But while critics lambasted government on the sh23.9 trillion budget, others looked at it as an opportunity to intensify in monitoring and evaluating the sectors that have got a big chunk of the money.

David Walakira, a budget policy analyst with Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group noted that since the education sector’s budget was increased, it is an opportunity to see improved learning outcomes in schools.

He also pointed out that it comes with risks such as accounting officers being put to task to account for the money allocated to the sector, on top of as delays in procurement and political interference.

The analyst commended the finance minister for allocating sh5 billion to combat Hepatitis E and sh3 billion for interns but wondered whether entrusting the latter with responsibility of managing hospitals was the best way to go. 

The director of programmes at Uganda Debt Network, Julius Kapwepwe , wondered where the sh23.9 trillion would come from besides from domestic borrowing.

He also questioned the government's commitment on implementation as it failed to do so in the 2014/2015 budget as regards setting up a fruit and mushroom factory in Soroti and Tororo respectively.  



Also related to this story

President Museveni's reaction to budget

Reading of national budget: As it happened

Budget speech for financial year 2015/16