Muntu promises 10 percent budget allocation to agricultural sector

Lyantonde, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The Alliance for National Transformation-ANT Presidential Candidate Gregory Mugisha Muntu has pledged to allocate 10 percent of the national budget to the Agriculture sector.

Muntu, who was campaigning at Lyantonde district playground in Sunday, promised that if elected in office, his government will actualize the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa. 

In 2003 the African Heads of States at the Second African Union Ordinary Assembly in Maputo; the capital of Mozambique, committed on behalf of their governments that they would allocate at least 10 percent of their national budgetary resources to agriculture and rural development policy implementation within five years.

However, in Uganda, the sector is allocated less than 5 percent of the Budget. 

But Muntu indicates that their manifesto compilation team appreciated the challenges that have contributed to low performance of the agriculture sector is largely due to the meagre resources that are repeatedly allocated to it, in total disregard of the regional declaration government assented to. 

He explains that the increase in the country’s population size requires intervention in the agricultural sector by improving the production capacity, to ensure that the country is food secure by empowering those directly involves in farming. 

He also promises that his approach will include putting in place Agriculture Bank to offer affordable credit to farmers as well as paying attention to the strengthening of cooperatives union.   

The former Army Commander also criticised the operations of the Fisheries Protection Unit, which he said are brutal. He says there are better alternatives for enforcing the fisheries standards without necessarily harassing the communities.

Muntu also cautioned security agencies against being taken up by political biases which he says will compromise their professional standards and the public holding them in doubt.

Citing statements by Brigadier Sande Deus the Commander of the UPDF Armoured Brigade at Kasijjagirwa-Masaka who noted the army is not ready to hand over power to any leader apart from President Museveni, Muntu observed the utterances as an unwise talk that should not be tolerated in the security forces.

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