Butaleja rice farmers ask govt to subsidise prices of machinery
BUTALEJA – Rice farmers under Doho Irrigation Farmers’ Cooperative Society [DIFACOS] in Butaleja district have appealed to government to subsidise prices of agricultural machinery, saying it will help them to boost production.
Speaking to this reporter shortly after Doho Farmers’ SACCO annual general meeting at Nampologoma trading centre in Mazimasa Sub-county, Butaleja district, farmers said they can’t afford to buy agricultural machinery like tractors because they are expensive.
Juma Wegulo, a prominent rice farmer, said government should subsidise prices of agricultural machinery to enable farmers to adopt best practices in modern farming production.
“The cost of production is high because of using traditional rudimentary tools; therefore, government should come in by helping farmers to access modern farming tools such walking tractors, oxen ploughs and other machines. This will lower the cost of production in the agricultural sector, thus enhancing agricultural production which will make Uganda food secure,” he said.
Fredrick Hasahya, another rice farmer, called upon the government to ensure that farmers have access to cheap irrigation technologies.
He noted that over depending on rainwater is becoming a big challenge to the farmers, especially in the water-stressed regions. Irrigation technologies will support farmers to grow more food for both domestic consumption and export.
Tom Wandera, the Butaleja district environmental officer, said the government can only support farmers to acquire agricultural machines when they are in groups.
“The challenge in the sector is that most farmers are operating at the individual level; it makes it very difficult to support such farmers. Let them form farming groups. That is when the government will respond easily to their problems,” he said.
Earlier, the manager Doho Farmers’ SACCO in Butaleja district, Esther Gimbo, encouraged the framers to join SACCOs in bid to help them tap into market opportunities and boost their income.
She said that the SACCOs and cooperatives are the best way to protect farmers from exploitation by middlemen and attract government funding.
“Most of our rice farmers are not tapping maximum market potential because they are not members of cooperatives,” she said.
https://thecooperator.news/butaleja-rice-farmers-urged-to-join-saccos/
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