Marketing farmers’ produce: Kwania gets Shs 600mln to rehabilitate community roads

KWANIA -Kwania district local government has received Shs 600 million from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries [MAAIF] to rehabilitate community access roads in the district so that farmers are able to access the market for their agricultural produce.

The funding is under Agricultural Cluster Development Project [ACDP].

ACDP is a government project being implemented by MAAIF with US$ 150mln credit facility from the International Development Association [IDA] of the Word Bank.

Johnson Ojok Ocen, Kwania district production coordinator says the money will be used to rehabilitate community access roads in the sub-counties of Inomo, Akali, Ayabi and Abongomola, areas that are engaged in large-scale agricultural produce.

“We shall use the money to repair the three kilometres Agwa –Teilwa road, off Corner Adek road in Akali Sub-county, 6kms Apira-Kampala road in Inomo Sub-county and so on. These are the roads which connect farmers to the market,” he said.

As you may be aware, ACDP has two components of crops and infrastructures. In July last year we received Shs 192mln and constructed eight warehouses in Inomo, Abongomola, Nambieso sub-county, and Aduku town council to improve post-harvest handling,” he added.

Betty Akejo, Kwania District Agricultural Officer who doubles as the District ACDP Focal Point Person says so far 870 farmers have benefited from the first phase of the project.

“Under crop component, we were able to distribute farm inputs to 870 farmers. Under this scheme, a farmer is supposed to pay 33 percent of the total cost of the item and the government meets 67 percent of the total cost of the item. ACDP is generally improving the lives of our farmers,” she said.

Mike Ngura Okello, a model passion fruit farmer from Abongomola Sub-county says the money has come at the right time when farmers are struggling with poor community access roads to transport their farm produce to the market.

Kwania District LCV Chairman Geoffrey Alex Ogwal Adyebo says, “I want to thank the government for sending this money. It has come at the right time when the district is grappling with poor roads due to torrential rain and lack of road equipment to repair our roads,” he said in a telephone interview last Wednesday.”

https://thecooperator.news/poor-roads-hindering-growth-of-tourism-sector-in-elgon-districts/

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