MP Kamara assures Kisoro tea farmers of pay

PIC: Kamara says people should be grateful to the Government for the lucrative tea project that was introduced. (Wilson Manishimwe)

KISORO - Kisoro's renowned tea farmer, who doubles as the Bufumbira North Constituency MP, John Nizeyimana Kamara, has urged Kisoro tea farmers to be patient, saying the Government will soon pay the money they demand from it.

Kamara explained that late last year, President Yoweri Museveni made a directive to the finance ministry to effect the payment of tea farmers in different parts of the country, including those in Kisoro.

"This week, I held talks with officials from the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), who promised that they were looking for the money. I held other meetings with the prime minister, ministers and the President Museveni, who ordered that the finance ministry finds money to pay tea farmers," Kamara told New Vision on Friday.

Recently, about 112 tea farmers from Kisoro district expressed their concern about delayed payment of sh3.7b, by the Government for the 8.3 million seedlings that they supplied in March December 2016.

They farmers said that they risked losing their property they used as collateral while acquiring loans from banks and other financial institutions during planting of the seedlings they supplied.

"Tea farming involves buying chemicals to kill weeds, hiring labour and regular monitoring. This requires a lot of money, which low-income farmers cannot afford and that is why they obtained loans," Benjamin Akankwasa, one of the farmers, said.

One of the tea plantations in Kisoro. (Wilson Manishimwe)

However, in response, Kamara said the issue of delayed payment should not be regarded as a challenge for only Kisoro, but the entire tea sector. He added that tea has greatly transformed Kisoro communities and people's living conditions, adding that the farmers should be grateful to the NAADS secretariat, Operation Wealth Creation and President Museveni for the initiative. 

"…Because the Government also takes steps to pay; people should be patient actually and appreciate where the Government has reached with this tea project. This is the project that had been messed up, but the Government has intervened," he explained.

Kisoro leaders blame the delay on transition of NAADS from dealing with a lead agent to dealing directly with the district local government.

Formerly, the lead agent for tea in Kisoro was Kigezi Highland Tea Company owned by businessman James Musinguzi Garuga.
 
The Kisoro district chairman, Abel Bizimana, said the council has met several times and written recommendation to NAADS secretariat and is optimistic that soon people will be paid their money.

"We even set up a committee to handle the March 2016 supply issue last year. We have the assurance that OWC is doing a lot to have farmers' money paid to them," Bizimana said.

Lt. Col. Deo Kayita, the Kisoro district OWC commander, explained that the payment of the farmers is underway and is being handled by the NAADS and the agriculture ministry. He revealed that recently the Office of Prime Minister wrote finance ministry requesting the farmers to be paid.

"The farmers have to be patient; we did our part of verification and submitted the recommendation to relevant agencies," he said.