The Minister of State for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, Kenneth Omona, has urged farmers in Agoro Sub-county, Lamwo District, to shift from growing annual crops to high-value perennial crops as the rehabilitation of the Agoro Irrigation Scheme nears completion. Omona expressed concern over the local varieties of crops currently being cultivated by farmers within the irrigation blocks, arguing that many of them may not significantly improve household incomes.
The irrigation scheme, which in the past was largely used for rice growing, has in recent years seen many farmers shift to crops such as maize and vegetables following persistent challenges in water distribution to some farmlands. Omona noted that the improved water availability under the rehabilitated scheme presents a major opportunity for farmers to venture into more profitable crops such as coffee and cocoa, which attract better prices on the market.
According to the minister, transitioning to perennial cash crops would improve household welfare and increase farmers’ earnings in the long term. He also tasked agricultural extension workers in Agoro Sub-county to intensify the sensitization of farmers on modern farming practices to enable them to achieve higher yields and better quality produce for competitive markets.
Omona further encouraged farmers to form cooperative groups to support the bulking of produce, saying collective marketing would improve their bargaining power and ease access to larger markets. His remarks come at a time the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, is intensifying the promotion of perennial crops, especially coffee growing in Northern.
At least 65 billion shillings have been earmarked for coffee seedlings this financial year 2026/27 for Northern Uganda, as part of promoting coffee cultivation. However, local leaders say challenges affecting water access at the Agoro irrigation scheme persist despite the ongoing rehabilitation works. Moses Ochola, the LC1 Chairperson of Tunanum A Village, told Uganda Radio Network in an interview that although farmers are being encouraged to diversify into perennial crops, many farmers still face difficulties accessing water.
Ochola noted that the contractor has not fully established all the water distribution systems, limiting farmers’ ability to channel water from the main canals into their farmlands. He also alleged that some water pipes had been abandoned in gardens without being fixed, exposing them to possible damage. But Charles Bwire, the Senior Engineer at the Ministry of Water and Environment in charge of Water for Production at the Northern Regional Centre, said the rehabilitation works had reached 85 percent completion.
Bwire said the contractor, VIDAS Engineering Services, has only one month left on the contract to complete rehabilitation works on the six farm blocks. “As I speak right now, we are at 85 percent physical progress, and we have managed to complete all concrete works from canals to pipes. Junction boxes and off-take structures are all complete. We have completed all the outflow structures in all the blocks,” Bwire said.
He added that water is currently able to reach all sections of the rehabilitated scheme except blocks 7, 8, and 9, where some farmers reportedly rejected physical surveys on their land. Ambassador Ronic, one of the farmers at the irrigation scheme who grows maize and okra, said he expects to earn about one million shillings from his farming venture.
Ronic, however, noted that despite calls for farmers to diversify into perennial crops, limited access to land remains a major challenge for some farmers. For instance, Ronic said he only owns one and a half acres of land, making it difficult to venture into large-scale perennial crop farming. The Agoro Irrigation Scheme, located in Tumanun A Village in Agoro Sub-county, sits on 1,650 acres of land. The scheme has been under rehabilitation since 2012, with the government spending about 30.05 billion shillings on the project. The latest rehabilitation works are being undertaken at a cost of 2.2 billion shillings-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
