By KT Reporter
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has donated farm inputs to farmers in Amudat and Moroto districts to boost maize production and the honey value chain.
UNDP, in partnership with IGAD, Caritas Moroto diocese, LPI, and MESPT, is currently running a one-year project promoting social and economic development and peace in the border area of Karamoja in Uganda and West Pokot in Kenya.
The project covers the Tapac sub-county in the Moroto district and the Looro sub-county in the Amudat district, while in Kenya, they operate in the Kapchok ward in the Kacheliba sub-county and the Lale ward in the North Pokot sub-county.
On Monday, eight farmer groups with a membership of 120 each in the two sub-counties of Looro in Amudat and Tapac in Moroto received 1,010 kilograms of maize seeds and 202 bags of fertilizers for both Urea and DAP, worth 50,935,000 shillings. The farmers are yet to receive the post-harvest storage bags and maize grinding machines for value addition, costing 55 million Shillings.
The seven Apiary groups with a total number of 175 members received the equipment that can support the production, processing and packaging of honey procured for 135 million Shillings. The equipment includes 300 bee hives, hive tools, protective gear, bee suits and gears, smokers, weighing scales, a bee venom collector, and a solar wax extractor, among others.
Irene Kisa, a farmer in the Looro sub-county, said that the seeds came at the right time when the rains had just started and their gardens were ready for planting.
Kisa said that she was worried about where to get quality seeds for planting because they often have poor quality in the markets. She said that the maize seeds she received from the partner would help her to invest more resources in the gardens without a doubt.
Anna Mary Nakoru, another farmer, appealed to the partners to consider training them on agronomic practices to improve the high yields. Nakoru noted that sometimes they get low harvests due to poor planting methods and a lack of knowledge on crop management.
Albert Loremoe, a bee farmer in the Looro sub-county, confirmed receipt of equipment such as storage equipment, warmers, honey processing, suits, and packaging materials, which he says will help to boost their honey productivity.
Loremoe expressed gratitude for the equipment, stating that the honey equipment he received will help to boost and improve the quality of bee products.
Loremoe revealed that he has been finding it a challenge to harvest the honey and process it ready for sale.
“The coming of this project will help me a lot because I’m going to improve on my products by adding value to compete in the markets,” Loremoe said.
Dr. Gudina Gemechis, Programme Coordinator of the Karamoja Resilience Programme, stated that the project has four key pillars focusing on production, access to finance, boosting agriculture, and social creation, which tackles the barriers to cross-border free movement.
Gemechis reiterated that they focus on maize and honey value chains to increase productivity and value addition and support micro and small enterprises engaged in informal cross-border trade.
He added that they will be investing in climate resilience and socio-economic infrastructure to facilitate trade and promoting peace-building initiatives to enhance community stability.
Gemechis noted that the project is currently serving as a pilot, designed to demonstrate proof of concept for future scaling up based on its successful outcomes.
He explained that the project is looking at fostering trust and cooperation among communities through cross-border dialogues and collaborative training sessions, enhancing social cohesion between Kenyan and Ugandan participants.
Denis Okori, the Amudat Resident District Commissioner, said that the project will support in creating social cohesion, productivity and the ability to compete at the market level.
Okori observed that Amudat district is a food basket, and farmers often sell off immediately after harvest. He said that produce dealers come from all over the country and neighboring Kenya to buy grains cheaply from the Amudat district, and farmers sell it all because they cannot handle the harvest.
He said that the coming of the project with the components of value addition will enable farmers to sell their products in a competitive market.
Joseph Nangole Lobot, the LCV Chairperson of Amudat, challenged the partners to create avenues for farmers to be able to sell their produce.
Lobot noted that the initiative is good for the sub-county of Looro, which has been the food basket in the entire district. He said that the component of storage facilities will help to address the problem of farmers selling off the harvest cheaply due to a lack of storage.
Lobot also urged the UNDP to support the groups with tractors to increase production. He explained that the farmers are currently facing a challenge in accessing tractors after the Uganda Revenue Authority blocked the hire schemes of Kenya from entering Uganda.
He added that the farmers have been fully relying on the Kenyan tractors, and now they are stuck without any alternative-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
