Dokolo district leadership raises concern over inadequate maize seed supply

DOKOLO, August 17, 2026 — Dokolo district LCV Chairperson Peter Ogwang has raised concern over the inadequate supply of maize seed delivered by government for distribution to farmers, saying the quantity is insufficient to meet the needs of the district’s growing number of farmers.

Under the Operation Wealth Creation [OWC] programme, the Government of Uganda, through private company Equator Seeds Limited, recently delivered 40,000 kilogrammes of maize seed to Dokolo District Local Government for distribution to farmers ahead of the new planting season.

Dokolo district has 14 sub-counties and more than 50,000 households. The sub-counties include Adok, Agwata, Amwoma, Batta, Dokolo, Kangai, Kwera, Okwalongwen and Okwongodul.

The government’s initiative is aimed at increasing agricultural production, promoting food security, encouraging farmers to bulk their produce and improving access to markets.

Ogwang welcomed the support, saying the maize seed would benefit farmers who are eager to engage in production.

He, however, urged officials to prioritise farmers who are ready and able to produce maize on a larger scale and participate in collective marketing.

“Let us identify farmers who have the capacity for bulk production, as well as individual farmers who are interested and already have prepared gardens, so that they can benefit from the programme,” Ogwang said.

He also urged the district’s Production Department and OWC officials to work closely with agricultural extension workers to identify suitable beneficiaries.

Ogwang warned against corruption and favouritism in the distribution of the seed, saying the programme should benefit farmers across the district rather than individuals connected to officials.

“We request you to work closely with the extension workers to identify beneficiaries quickly. Corruption remains one of the challenges in the country, but we are committed to having a corruption-free district. Anyone intending to divert the seed or give it to relatives should desist. The entire district must benefit from this government support,” he said.

Ogwang further questioned whether the 40,000 kilogrammes of seed would be enough to serve the district’s population, noting that Dokolo has about 52,870 households.

“We have about 52,870 households, and our intention should be for every household to benefit from Operation Wealth Creation. The President’s interest is to ensure that every household moves out of poverty. This means the seed we have received may not be enough to support every family,” he said.

Farmers to benefit through groups

For a farmer to benefit from the maize seed, they must be a registered member of a farmer group or cooperative.

Geoffrey Sam Okaka, the Dokolo District Agricultural Officer, said the group-based approach would make it easier for officials to monitor how the seed is planted and managed.

“The condition for a farmer to receive the seed is that they must be a registered member of a group. These groups will help us monitor how each farmer plants and manages the crop so that, ultimately, we can achieve bulk production,” Okaka said.

He said the programme would be different from previous arrangements where farmers received agricultural inputs without adequate follow-up to ensure they were properly utilised.

Okaka encouraged farmers to embrace the initiative and play their part in ensuring that the programme achieves its objective of reducing poverty through agriculture.

“We want committed farmers because this is a government initiative aimed at fighting poverty through farming. Farmers should grow the maize, harvest it properly and store it well. After the first season, the government will explore ways of adding value to the crop and linking farmers to groups that can support value addition,” he said.

He added that farmers with access to maize-processing machines could also benefit by milling the grain into flour for sale and generating additional income.

Okaka pledged the continued support of the Production Department to ensure the seed is put to productive use.

“The Production Department will provide all the necessary support to ensure that these maize seeds are properly planted and managed,” he said.

Seed should be multiplied

Babara Akech, the Dokolo District Resident Commissioner, urged farmers to ensure that the seed is properly planted and used to increase production rather than allowing it to be wasted.

“We do not want the seed to disappear into communities without accountability. We want to see it planted, verified and properly managed. We also want to see the seed multiplied through good yields. We already have existing groups, and we should prepare them to produce good yields and create a meaningful impact,” Akech said.

Meanwhile, Rt Major Tobias Alele, the OWC Coordinator for Dokolo District, said the high levels of poverty and low agricultural productivity in Northern Uganda were among the reasons the Government had introduced the hybrid maize seed programme in the district.

“The Government has observed that Northern Uganda has lagged behind in productivity, while poverty levels remain higher compared with other parts of the country. This initiative is intended to increase productivity in Northern Uganda, with a strong emphasis on access to markets,” Alele said.

He explained that the seed would be distributed to cooperatives and farmer groups, which would then bulk their produce before being linked to potential buyers.

“The seed will be issued to cooperatives and farmer groups, which will bulk the maize. They can then be linked to the National Enterprise Corporation under the Ministry of Defence and other potential buyers. This will create a market for the farmers’ produce,” he said.

Alele said the initiative had the potential to significantly reduce poverty in Northern Uganda if farmers embraced collective production, bulking and marketing.

He said the 40,000kg of seed could generate substantial volumes of maize if properly managed, creating an opportunity for farmers to earn more from collective marketing.

“If we can use these 40,000 kilogrammes of seed to produce large volumes of maize, bulk the produce and market it collectively, a significant amount of money will remain in Dokolo and Northern Uganda. That is one of the ways we can tackle poverty in the region,” Alele said.

https://thecooperator.news/kitgum-receives-30000kg-of-hybrid-maize-seeds-under-owc/

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