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Nabilatuk, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Farmers in Nabilatuk District have raised a concern about the high costs of hiring government tractors.
Early this month, the Agriculture Ministry flagged the tractor-hire scheme in an effort to address the hunger crisis in the region.
The leaders and the district’s technical officers across the region resolved that farmers hire a tractor at a rate of 80,000 Shillings per acre. The money is supposed to pay the driver and maintain the machines.
But the farmers, say that they can’t afford the costs of hiring the tractors given the current situation of poverty and hunger.
Robert Aleper, a farmer in Lokapel village in Lorengedwat Sub County says that the government should consider reducing the price for hire if the scheme is intended to support the local farmers to get rid of hunger.
Henry Kodet, another farmer in Lokapel noted that it appears like the government is intending to make money from the vulnerable communities in Karamoja instead of helping.
Kodet said all his oxen were stolen by cattle rustlers and the only hope was a tractor but unfortunately, he cannot afford to hire the services.
John Maruk, a farmer in Nabilatuk Town Council said they do not have any income-generating activities to enable them to raise money to hire a tractor for ploughing.
Simon Lokut, the Nabilatuk District Production Officer said that the tractor scheme is only targeting medium to large-scale farmers. Lokut said that so far they have ploughed 180 acres and the target is for 2,000 acres before the tractors are moved to other districts within the region.
He also noted that farmers were advised to form groups at the parish level so that farmers can access tractors and also reduce the costs of transporting the machines.
Jacinta Ayo, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner Nabilatuk says that her office is already overwhelmed with farmers who say that the costs are high. She said her office will closely monitor the program and if it is not targeting the local farmers in the village then there will be no value to continue with such projects.
Isaac Lokol, the LCV Chairperson Nabilatuk District said that the tractors are not addressing the problem of vulnerable households.
Lokol urged farmers to consider using other tractors from private firms that are also charging the same amount of money to reduce the backlog and manage the first rainy season.
He also noted that the prices for hiring tractors are too high for the local farmers and his plea to have it reduced was turned down by the district technical staff.
Lokol also appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to deliver the 200 tractors they had promised to deliver to the Karamoja sub-region because the hire scheme tractor project is not reaching the vulnerable farmers.
The tractors which were mobilized from Namalere Agricultural research center are being kept and managed by Nabuin Zonal Agricultural Research Institute in Nabilatuk district where the government is carrying out a pilot study for mechanized agriculture.
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