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Iganga, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Agriculture has donated 500 heifers worth 1.5 Billion Shillings to address poverty in the Busoga sub-region.
The heifers were procured through, the National Agriculture Advisory Services-NAADS.
Thomas Nsemerirwe, the NAADS livestock development officer, says that the heifers issued to the beneficiaries are disease resistant, which will prevent premature deaths and overly ease management by the farmers, most of whom are new in this field.
He said that NAADS officials have been tasked to skill farmers on acceptable livestock farming practices to ensure better outcomes.
Nsemerirwe notes that all the heifers were artificially inseminated before and the beneficiaries have been educated on the right pastures required.
Nsemerirwe also says that a team of experts from the Diary Development Authority-DDA has been assigned the task of making spot-checks on the different farms, in a bid to continuously equip farmers with the proper management of dairy farms.
The State Minister for Agriculture, Kyakulaga Bwino says that the heifers are in fulfillment of a presidential pledge made to Busoga MPs during one of the NRM caucuses.
According to Kyakulaga, each Member of Parliament from Busoga was tasked to identify at least 10 people from their electoral areas, who could each be boosted with a heifer.
Kyakulaga notes that the primary beneficiaries would in turn become role models in their communities, who would be trainers of future beneficiaries in this ‘timeless,’ project.
The Prime Minister, Robina Nabbanja says that Busoga’s was once rated as one of Uganda’s cattle corridors and interventions like this will over time revive the dairy sector in the sub-region.
Nabbanja further says that, if the beneficiaries adhere to the set guidelines and register progress in this trade, the government will support them with coolers, coupled and other value-added equipment, which will enable them to reap more profits from their livestock business.
Nabbanja also reveals that, for a long, several households have been either directly or indirectly depending on sugarcane plantations for survival, which had kept them in poverty following price uncertainties in the industry. She added that there are ongoing efforts to revive the dairy sector, and the economic fortunes of the sub-region will drastically change.
Evelyn Namulondo, a resident of Nkatu cell, in Iganga municipality says that she operates a boutique, but only earns reasonable profits during end-of-year festivities, however, with a heifer donated to her, she will surely concentrate on this daily income-generating activity to transform her livelihood.
Jackson Musitwa, a resident of Imanyiro sub-county, in Mayuge district says that, following the government ban on harvesting silverfish from Lake Victoria, he had been rendered jobless and had resorted to odd jobs for survival, but with a heifer to his name, he has hope of improving his income.
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