The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Napak, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Napak district leaders are calling for more relief food from the government and well-wishers to complement the little produce from harvests. The call follows the poor harvest experienced in this planting season.
John Paul Kodet, the LCV Chairperson for Napak district says although the government and other well-wishers have donated relief food, people have continued to die because what they get is not enough forcing farmers to sell the produce.
Kodet noted that from the time hunger hit the district, the deaths have accumulated, an indication that more food is needed to address the crisis.
“Our people need more food as quickly as possible in these uncertain times because the harvest we thought would help has not done much,’’ Kodet reiterated.
According to Kodet, the little food people cultivated has been consumed from the gardens and they thought rains would return in October to enable farmers to replant but all in vain. He said the rate of malnutrition has also increased especially in the green belt areas where the district used to rely on food production.
Damiano Guilio Guzzetti, the Bishop of Moroto Catholic Diocese said it was painful to see people dying of hunger throughout the year without permanent solutions to end the disaster.
Guzzetti described the shortage of food in Karamoja as a serious crisis, urging the government and other partners to support efforts to help people in need and also try to look for sustainable solutions.
He also noted that people in Karamoja are strong enough to produce their own local food but they have not been sensitized on food preservation.
‘’According to my knowledge, the food produced from the green belts is enough to satisfy the needs of Karamojong but unfortunately, all the produce is sold out to other regions’,’ he lamented.
Guzzetti says as a church, they are also trying whatever it takes to support the needy but their resources are always limited and cannot reach every affected household.
Napak district has so far received food donations from over twenty different well-wishers.
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