PADER– Farmers in Pader and other neighbouring districts are finding it difficult to harvest their crops due to heavy rains that have also posed challenges to post-harvest handling.
The most affected districts are Pader, Kitgum, and Agago with crops like Soya bean, sim-sim, and sunflower that are rotting in the farmlands.
Alice Akello, a farmer under Lukole Cooperative in Agago district said her household has made a double loss, as their five acres of soybean were affected by the harsh weather conditions, including heavy rains.
“I have no money to buy taplins for drying my soya before I take it for sale. I am also not sure if I will be able to plant in this new season since my source of livelihood has been affected by the weather,” she said.
However, JEROMA Farmers Collection Centre Limited is now undertaking farmers through post-harvest handling as rains intensify in the region.
JEROMA, which engages farmers in Good Agricultural Practices [GAP], through extension services, argues that the rains have come at the time when farmers are harvesting their crops and if harvesting is not handled well a lot might be lost.
“As a way of mitigating food insecurity among the farming communities, post-harvest handling is key because it helps farmers to save their harvests from destruction, and it is worse when the rains have set in,” Sam Acuti, JEROMA coordinator told this reporter.
There is a need for local governments in various districts to help the farmers with taplins and packaging materials so that all is not lost,” he said.
Senior commercial officer Kitgum district Morish Atwom said the rains are too much and already affecting the farmers who are harvesting their crops.
“In the past, development partners used to support but some have also reduced on their services to the farmers due to inadequate funding,” he said.
He however advised the farmers to use the available resources to protect their harvests from rain as the district looks for support from possible partners.
The LCV Chairperson Agago district Leonard Okello, revealed that it is not only the crops being affected due to the heavy rains but also the roads linking farmers to the markets that have become impassable.
“We are at the crossroad as many farmers cannot access markets to sale their produce due to the poor road network at the moment,” he said.
Many farmers in Pader were compelled by several organisations to grow soybean, maize, and white sorghum after assuring them of a ready market.
https://thecooperator.news/pader-district-runs-short-of-extension-workers/
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