KWANIA, June 28, 2024 – Abapiri Oil Seed Cooperative Society Limited in Abapiri parish, Chawente Subcounty in Kwania district has received a new tractor, donated by the Agriculture ministry to boost crop production.
The tractor was delivered to the cooperative’s leaders by Kwania County Member of Parliament, Tonny Ayo during a meeting at the district headquarters on Wednesday.
Ayo encouraged members of the cooperative society to use the tractor to upgrade from subsistence farming to commercial farming to fight household poverty.
“This is the fifth tractor that as the area Member of Parliament got directly involved to ensure I bring home. The first tractor was given to the youth; the second one was given to the Anglican Church, the third to Odolamido and Agwiciri Cooperative and now Abapiri Cooperative Society. Please, use this tractor to transform from subsistence to commercial farming,” he said.
Form more cooperatives
Ayo tasked Kwania district leaders to help farmers form more cooperatives to help them improve household income.
“My concern is that Cooperative Societies are still few. I want to request the Commercial department that one of the strategies that we should plan to help us change and improve the well beings of our people is mobilising farmers to form more Cooperatives to address the concern of prices of agricultural products, low production and the middlemen exploiting farmers,” he said.
Gregory Adupa, Aduku Subcounty LCV Male Councillor who doubles as the Chairperson Production at Kwania district council, while representing Kwania LCV Chairman at the handover of the tractor rallied members of the cooperative to use the tractor to boost their production to fight famine, and poverty.
“Now that we have advanced from hand hoes to ox-plough to waking tractors and to tractors, the mechanised agriculture should boost production to address the challenge of food shortage, “he said.
Wamburu David Wasikye, Kwania Chief Administrative Officer tasked leaders of Abapiri Cooperative to regularly service the tractor given to them and use it for the intended purpose to transform their lives and improve their household income.
Similarly, Patrick Bura, Kwania district Senior Commercial Officer said, “It has been a long but successful struggle to have this tractor here and this is already money. Use it for the rightful purposes don’t personalise the tractor. Remember cooperatives have their own principles that must be adhered to, one of them is that they are member-owned. Not even the cooperative’s Chairman not even the Commercial Officer but member-owned.”
Thomas Olal, a member of the cooperative society welcomed the tractor with excitement. Olal said he has been using hand hoes and sometimes hired oxen which were very expensive.
Abapiri Oil Seed Cooperative Society Limited established in 2017, has a total of 451 members with a loan portfolio of Shs 250 million.
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