Agago District has received 68 tonnes of maize flour and 30 tonnes of beans from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) to support households affected by prolonged drought and food shortages.
The relief was received by district leaders on Friday, as residents continue to struggle with crop failure caused by prolonged dry spells, with 12 persons already reported dead from hunger related complications.
UPDF soldiers under the command of Colonel Richard Watmon, Brigade Commander of 507 Brigade, were immediately deployed to guard the food supplies until they are distributed to the intended beneficiaries.
Moris Ocana, the Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Agago, said the latest consignment had arrived at a critical time as the dry spell continues to destroy crops planted for the second season.
“This is the first batch we are receiving today,” Ocana said. “At least, they have already sent into the district 68 tonnes of posho and 30 tonnes of beans. I think this one will improve the situation which we are having in Agago.”
He said residents had hoped that the second planting season would improve the food situation after poor harvests during the first season, but the continued lack of rain has dried crops in the gardens.
“We were thinking that the second season can make a lot of improvements, but all these crops are now still burning because there is no rain,” the Assistant RDC said, appealing to the government and well-wishers to provide additional assistance to communities affected by hunger. He urged farmers with access to irrigation equipment to begin using it to produce food.
Ocana said the district had so far received 68 irrigation machines for individual farmers. He also urged residents to stop cutting down trees and cultivating in wetlands, saying environmental degradation was contributing to declining moisture and worsening drought conditions. “I think we should have to plan hard to see that we improve the situation,” he went on. “Let us leave the trees there, let us leave even the streams, which can sustain the moisture in that area.”
Agago District Chairperson Wilson Otto said the relief had arrived at a time when the most vulnerable residents were facing severe food shortages. He listed pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, older persons and persons with disabilities among those most affected.
“Honestly speaking, the pregnant mothers are almost dying,” an alarmed Otto admitted. “When you see our older persons, they are in a dangerous state. Those breastfeeding are also badly affected.”
He said the district was originally expected to receive about 250,000 kilogrammes of maize flour and 100 tonnes of beans, but welcomed the 68 tonnes of maize and 30 tonnes of beans so far delivered.
Otto said district authorities were working to secure the food and ensure it reaches the intended beneficiaries, with the UPDF supporting the distribution process.
The latest relief follows an earlier donation by the Salvation Army, which provided 750 litres of cooking oil, 6,250 kilogrammes of maize flour and 2,500 kilogrammes of beans.
The Kakande Ministries also donated 27,000 kilogrammes of maize flour, which was distributed to older persons aged 80 years and above across all sub-counties in Agago.
The district says about 69,400 households are expected to benefit from the OPM relief.
Otto warned that the food crisis could worsen next year if the drought persists, saying the first season had already recorded poor harvests while the second is also being affected by prolonged drought.
“We can imagine now, first season no harvest,” he said. “We are now entering second season, there is no rain. So we think next year the hunger might be worse.”
He said district leaders were preparing to promote alternative farming methods, including irrigation, to reduce dependence on increasingly unreliable rainfall.
“We need to begin talking to our communities to change the farming methods because now we are seeing that we can’t rely on the heavenly rain,” Otto warned. “Somehow it has started to disappoint.”
In July, Otto appealed to the government and humanitarian agencies for urgent food relief, saying prolonged drought had destroyed an estimated 85 per cent of crops, leaving thousands of residents facing severe hunger and rising cases of malnutrition.
According to Otto, the situation had by that time resulted in the deaths of at least 12 people in circumstances linked to hunger, while more than 351 people, mostly children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, older persons and other vulnerable groups, had been treated for malnutrition at health facilities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
