GULU – Gulu City Woman Member of Parliament, Betty Aol Ochan, has rallied farmers and farmer groups in Gulu City and Acholi Sub-region to embrace mechanised agriculture, saying it reduces labour costs among other advantages.
Currently, most of the farmers in Acholi are in groups, mostly village savings and loan associations [VSLAs] and SACCOs but they hardly engage in mechanised agriculture, which has potential to boost their incomes.
MP Aol who was recently meeting women groups in Gulu City said on top of saving, women should invest some of the money in hiring tractors and other machinery for agricultural practices and value addition.
According to her, agricultural mechanisation is important when it comes to commercial farming, which sometimes requires a farmer to cultivate a big chunk of land.
“You can`t cultivate 2-3 acres using a hand hoe. My advice is that get that part of the money saved in groups to hire a tractor for clearing more land that will yield more harvests and income,” Aol said.
Stephen Opira, a resident of Laroo-Wigot, in Gulu City, said there`s a need to train saving groups in investment and financial literacy, saying that most people are only interested in saving money than investing it to earn more profits.
Opira says that people seem not to understand why they join saving groups. “By getting the loans from groups, a member should be able to invest in commercial farming, much he keeps saving with the groups.
Michael Lakony, the board member of Kilak Farmer`s Cooperative Society in Amuru district, said that most farmers lack guidance on agricultural mechanisation, including acquiring loans for agricultural machinery.
Though it has some disadvantages, mechanised agriculture allows for faster and more efficient farming, which can lead to higher yields and greater output.
Mechanised agriculture also leads to reduced labour costs, improved safety and better quality crops “Mechanised farming allows for precise control over planting and harvesting, which can lead to higher quality crops.”
https://thecooperator.news/mp-aol-donates-maize-seeds-to-widows/
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