Five Companies pre-selected to supply irrigation equipment to Nwoya farmers
NWOYA – Five private companies have been pre-selected to supply irrigation equipment to 141 selected farmers in Nwoya district under a micro-scale irrigation program introduced by the government.
Solar now, Ferrest Investment limited, Balton Uganda, Advo International and Adritex will be evaluated to provide irrigation equipment which include; solar panels, water sprinkler and a water pump generator.
Tabu Justin, the Senior Agricultural Engineer, Nwoya district said they intend to work with all the five companies but the number of farmers allocated to each company will be determined after evaluation.
“The evaluation committee will do selection of the best bidders but we intend to give work to all the five companies although the number of farmers per supplier will vary,” he said adding that a decision will be made in November.
A total of 362 farmers were registered for the cost sharing project where the government will pay between 25 and 75% of the total cost of the irrigation equipment depending on factors like the size of the land, distance from water points and cost of equipment.
Tabu said that the remaining 221 farmers will be included in the next financial year.
“All the 141 farmers have already been assessed and will get their equipment by December 2021. The others will be rolled out in the next financial year,” he said.
The goal of the program is to create at least 1.5 million acres of irrigated land in Uganda by 2040.
During a training of the selected farmers on Wednesday, Akello Agnes Ebong, the Nwoya Resident District Commissioner urged the companies to supply only genuine equipment.
“I insist that you give us the right technology and the right items so that our farmers can do something good with them,” Ebong said.
She also urged the selected farmers to utilize the equipment to increase their productivity.
Ajok Kevin Okot, a farmer from Anaka town council who benefitted said, “I will be able to plant crops throughout the year. We have always relied on only two seasons to do farming.”
Felix Ouma, another farmer from Alero sub county said, the irrigation equipment will help address the challenge of unpredictable weather faced by farmers.
“The weather today has changed. In the past, we were able to predict the seasons but today we can’t. Sometimes, we plant crops then rains stop and we can’t do anything to save our crops.”
Unpredictable weather has seen farmers in Acholi sub-region lose crops annually to drought and flooding.
The project is being piloted in more than 40 districts across the country including Nwoya, Omoro and Amuru districts in Acholi sub-region.
The equipment is meant to irrigate up to 2.5 acres of land.
In September 2020, Nwoya district received Shs 48 million from the Ministry of Agriculture, which was used for sensitization of farmers and establishment of two demonstration farms in Koch Goma and Got Apwoyo sub-counties.
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