NWOYA-Farmer groups in Nwoya district have asked authorities to build them stores if they are to maintain quality of their produce.
Currently, the district has stores in major trading centers. However, farmers want them constructed in the community given the accessibility challenges coupled with bad roads.
Stephen Ocen, a member of Can Pwonyi Farmers and Savings Group in Got Ngur Village, Paromo parish says with the heavy rains and the poor roads are affecting the transportation of their goods to the trading centers where the district has constructed produce stores.
Ocen says even if some farmers realised good harvests of maize in the first planting season, many of them are struggling to store it.
“Ferrying several kilogrammes for over 10 kilometres comes with additional costs and risks of the produce getting spoiled along the way in case of accidents,” Ocen said.
At the beginning of the year, Tony Awany, the Nwoya County Member of Parliament distributed maize seeds to over 1200 farmers groups in a bid to boost food security and income among the members.
Santa Arach, a member of Lacan-aryek Group in Amuka parish, whose group benefited from the support from the legislator says as farmers, they have challenges in post-harvest management which most times compromises the quality of their products.
Daniel Opio, the secretary for production and marketing, Nwoya district the imbalance in population distribution given the geographical coverage of the district, the district opted to construct stores in urban centers.
Opio, also the Anaka town council LCV councilor, says the production department is currently lobbying for funds from development partners to construct more stores in the rural areas.
The Government through the Ministry of Agriculture has in recent times constructed at least over 100 modern produce stores in Acholi Su-region in a bid to improve and maintain the quality of the produce as well ease access to the market.
https://thecooperator.news/northern-uganda-farmers-ask-govt-for-storage-facilities/
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