Kasaija urges local gov’t officials to enforce laws on environmental protection

MASAKA-The Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija has called upon local government officials to enforce laws on conservation of the environment to mitigate the effects of climate change in the country.

The minister said government has put more emphasis on protecting wetlands and forests that contribute to the formation of rain. ”If the environment is properly managed with good land use practices, government’s target of increasing agricultural production can be achieved,” he said.

Kasaija was speaking in Masaka city during a regional budget consultative workshop for local government officials in the Southwestern region.

He said that government has drawn strategic plans for the next financial year of 2023/24 to restore its economy back to the medium-term growth trajectory of between 6 percent to 7 percent through commercialisation of agriculture, industrialisation, and access to markets.

Kasaija stated that will be achieved through the selection of improved enterprises for farmers suitable for their regions to boost production and productive agriculture.

He said government would partner with commercial farmers to produce strategic commodities like coffee, to meet national and international demands.

He warned encroachers to immediately vacate the wetlands and stop cutting down forests because the country is still lagging behind in reaching its target of high agriculture production for food and cash crops due to inadequate rains.

He said Ugandans are facing catastrophes of drought, and strong winds washing away productive soils.

Call for citizens to embrace PDM

Minister Kasaija also urged Ugandans to embrace the implementation of the Parish Development Model [PDM]. He said has said PDM is not only for people in rural areas, even those in urban areas who work for only food to feed on are also eligible to benefit from the programme.

He added: ”Such people can get the funds to do urban farming like poultry, rabbit rearing, cows, piggery in their small portions at their residential homes. and also female can do weaving.”

He said he has budgeted Shs 1.115 trillion to be sent to parish Saccos in the next financial year. He said government is also ready to finance small -scaled solar-powered irrigation, boost access to water for production, and establish national storage facilities for grains and feeds.

Government, he said, will also provide inputs, post-harvesting handling, regulation of standards for agricultural produce, and access to markets.

Kasaija said they would support the development of hatcheries, construct fishponds, provide fingerlings and feeds. Under the PDM, farmers will use the borrowed money from their Saccos to buy fingerlings and seeds.

Masaka city Production Officer, Sheila Akello said Masaka city has started sensitising people in the urban and semi-urban areas in the city to establish gardens in their homes to minimise the cost of food and raise their household incomes.

She said some people have been selected to benefit from PDM and sensitised to broaden their knowledge on utilization of their small pieces of land to grow food crops as well as using these gardens to beautify their homes which are environmentally friendly.

https://thecooperator.news/tooro-king-urges-the-public-to-conserve-environment/

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