LIRA- The presence of counterfeit agro-inputs could soon become a thing of the past in Lango Sub-region if a new partnership between the National Alliance for Agricultural Cooperatives in Uganda [ NAAC ] and the local governments of Lira City and Lira district is implemented.
Through the newly formed Lira District Forum Advocacy Platform, the parties will be conducting community outreaches to educate farmers on the selection of quality agro-inputs.
The farmers in Lira have been complaining of counterfeit agro-inputs which continue to impact negatively on crop production, making them incur losses.
Richard Max Cox Okello Orik, the Lira district LC5 chairperson said that he was once a victim of counterfeit agro-inputs and has been fighting the counterfeits.
“I have been fighting this issue of fake seeds since I entered office, let this project of fighting fake seeds be felt by the local farmers because they are mostly affected,” Okello said.
He added: “Framers are so hardworking in Lira District, but I see no reason why a farmer should buy seeds at very high cost and sell the produce cheaply.”
Ambrose Asingizibwe, the advocacy manager at NAAC said fighting counterfeit agro-inputs on the market needs a collective effort aimed at shielding farmers from being cheated.
“As NAAC, we shall issue a facilitative role to Lira District Advocacy Forum Platform because they are the immediate people who can reach out to small-scale farmers at the grassroots,” he said.
Asingizibwe appealed to the agro-input dealers to stop cheating the farmers. “Do not make abnormal profits at the expense of our farmers. Do not cheat them by selling them fake seeds,” Asingizibwe,” said.
Meanwhile, Boniface Okello the Director of Bonis and Agro Inputs at Lira Main Market said it is hard to trace the sources of counterfeit agro-inputs.
“We have had so many instances where get counterfeit seeds. Even this season we received the fake seeds but it is not easy to establish where they come from,” Okello said.
Hudson Akwete, the chairperson Lira District Farmers’ Association, said that most of the members have been making losses because of buying fake seeds from the market.
“The fake seeds have made many farmers harvest poor quality yields from the garden which makes them count losses,” said Akwete.
Ambrose Checka, a resident of Ogur Sub-county said he once bought counterfeit cabbage seeds which dried a week after transplanting them , thus causing a financial loss to him.
“I got so much disappointed when the cabbage seeds I bought from a shop dried a week after being transplanted. I wasted a lot of money,” Checka said.
Denis Osborn Ocaya, the Lira City horticulture officer said that they recently impounded a lorry loaded with maize seeds suspected to be fake, adding that the partnership with NAAC will is timely.
“Just in March we impounded a lorry full of maize seeds which we suspected were fake and the coming of NAAC will help reduce counterfeit seeds on the market to at least 5 percent.
Lira City remains a hub for the distribution of agricultural inputs as most farmers the neighbouring districts of Lira, Kole, Dokolo, Oyam, and Alebtong shop from there.
https://thecooperator.news/advocacy-platform-needed-for-agriculture-sector-post-covid-naac/
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