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Oyam, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A total of 991 plantation plots at the Tochi Irrigation Scheme in Oyam District remain unused, despite the government’s efforts to promote rice production in the area. In 2020, the government, through the Ministry of Water and Environment, commissioned the 45 billion shilling irrigation scheme along the Tochi River in Oyam District.
The scheme was part of the Farm Income Enhancement and Conservation Project II, which aimed to boost rice production and increase household incomes in the neighboring sub-counties of Ngai, Acaba, and Minakulu. The 500 hectares of land were plotted into 1,241 acres which were allocated to farmers, but only 350 are being utilized. Alex Enon, the Oyam District commercial officer said the district has not realized any income from this scheme due to the low production capacity.
He believes that with private partnerships, the farmers would learn from the investors and be able to share technologies in the field.
Enon who acknowledges the low production rate at Tochi wants farmers to take up the investment and put it to good use. He said, “The Government of Uganda has put 45 billion in construction of this facility, and we expect it to have a multiplier effect; giving income to the farmers, but also to the government so that we can be able to realize a good change in the livelihood of people.”
On the other hand, he wants the government to avail more tractors and control pests to increase production.
Geoffrey Ouni, the general secretary Irrigation Water User Association and a farmer at the irrigation scheme attributed the farmer’s low uptake of the project to rat infestation and flooding of the farmland.
Ministry of Water gave the group one tractor, two walking tractors, seven reapers, and threshers. However, Ouni said farmers need more mechanization tools to be able to fully utilize the scheme and improve production.
Another farmer identified as Sam Ayo, a resident of Ngai sub-county is one of the farmers who has been planting rice at Tochi. He was able to raise 18 bags of rice from an acre of land because rats ate most of the crops in the first season. According to Ayo the rats, bad roads, and continuous flooding which sweeps away the crop have forced most farmers to abandon the idea of growing rice there.
James Ogwang, a member of the Local Government Finance Commission wants Oyam as a district to prioritize developing the scheme in order to generate revenue from different avenues.
Tochi irrigation scheme has a reserve for 10 billion cubic liters of water for production, scheme building, warehouse, cannel, and regulators. The government constructed a store with a capacity to store about 15,000 tons of rice near the scheme. Aside from rice, the scheme also has other components of aquaculture, apiculture, and horticulture.
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