By KT Reporter
President Yoweri Museveni has announced that his government is set to inject 360 billion Shillings to support tea farmers boost their production.
Uganda used to majorly import fertilizer from Ukraine for use in tea gardens, but since the country got entangled into war with Russia, this supply chain was affected.
Speaking during a campaign rally in Bunyangabu District on Thursday evening, the president explained that while global tea prices remain stable, recent global wars have disrupted the supply of fertilizers.
With the war, the container of fertilizer shipped from Ukraine or Russia to the Port of Mombasa rose from USD 2,500 to between USD 8,000 and USD 11,000.
This shortage has negatively impacted the quality of tea production in Uganda and led to decreased demand.
To address this issue and improve the quality of tea, government plans to purchase fertilizers and distribute them to farmers, thereby boosting their production quality.
To help on quality, he said the country will now purchase fertilizers that will be given to farmers to boost their production quality.
Museveni said he will meet with some farmers to thoroughly discuss the details However, he reiterated his stance that tea production should be carried out by farmers with large landholdings.
Otherwise, he advocates for the 4-acre model for households with limited land, encouraging small-scale farmers to adopt this approach to maximize productivity within land constraints.
Museveni stated that the NRM government has made significantly progress in enhancing the country’s political and social stability. He attributed this success to working collaboratively with alll kinds of people, emphasizing that as along as individuals are focused on positively transforming Uganda, they are welcome to contribute to the nation’s development.
Hussein Kato, the Bunyangabu district NRM chairperson asked the government to help improve the road infrastructure in the district noting that poor roads hinder agricultural production, the livelihood activity for most in the district.
He also asked locals in the district to utilize the government initiatives aimed at supporting them boast their household incomes including acquiring skills from the industrial hubs.
Immaculate Namara, a voter in Kibito Town Council however noted that without addressing the internal party conflicts within the district, party electorates remain divided notably on selecting between the constituency flag bearer and NRM lining independent-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
