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Uganda: Sh100b Allocated for NAADS
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New Vision (Kampala)
14 May 2008
Posted to the web 15 May 2008
Ronald Kalyango
Kampala
THE Government has increased the budget of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) for the next financial year from sh59b to sh100b.
"The sub-counties will directly receive 75% of the funds, 15% will go to the districts and the balance remains at the secretariat," NAADS executive director Dr. Silim Nahdy told journalists at his office in Kampala on Tuesday
He added that in the new financial year, they would concentrate on training farmers in primary and secondary processing and linking them to selected private sector players in the market.
"We shall support primary and secondary agro-processing to ensure that value is added to farm produce. This will enable farmers to receive an increased share of the value of their produce in the world market," said Nahdy.
Under the new programme, the Cabinet had given the secretariat the mandate to engage politicians at different levels to participate in the planning process with their constituents for better implementation of the agricultural scheme, he added.
According to the executive director, the failure of the first phase that ran from 2001 to 2007, was partly caused by politicians who, instead of embracing the programme for the benefit of their electorate, concentrated on criticising it.
However, despite this, Nahdy noted, the first phase was successful in districts like Kabarole, Soroti, Hoima, Kabale and Kitgum, while it registered little impact in Luweero, Wakiso and Tororo.
He added that the agricultural advisory services would be a boost to the Prosperity-For-All (Bonna Bagaggawale) programme.
"We have been moving with Gen. Salim Saleh (micro-finance state minister) in several regions around the country sensitising local leaders on the restructured NAADS," Nahdy explained.
"He (Saleh) has expressed optimism that it is one of the entry points the Government would use to address rampant poverty among the rural people."
The re-introduction of the walking tractor for smallholder farmers, would attract more people into agriculture since cultivation is made simpler, he observed.
"We have so far acquired 50 tractors from Thailand. This is a great stride in solving the immediate needs of small farmers."
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He hoped that these efforts would make Uganda a leading food basket in the region and beyond in the next 10 years.
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