Kampala, Uganda — Ahead of the start of one of Uganda's most ambitious agricultural interventions -- the climate smart project UCSATP -- Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Frank Tumwebaze has warned against misuse of government tractors, milk coolers and maize mills.
"It has come to our attention that there are some cases of misuse and underuse of the agricultural mechanization facilities. Some have turned them into businesses through hire," he said at the end of a 3-day Stakeholder Engagement Workshop for hundreds of political and agriculture leaders, LC5 Chairpersons, Resident District Commissioners, District Internal Security and Chief Administration Officers at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala last week.
The World Bank has put $350million (sh1.2 trillion) into a six year Ugandan agriculture project that will make maggot farming, bee keeping, solider fly raring plus commercial pasture production not only popular in 69 districts, but key to anchoring a bustling poultry, dairy and fishing sector. The Uganda-World Bank venture is dubbed the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation (UCSAT) project.
At the workshop Minister Tumwebaze said that, "there are also those who have monopolized them rendering them idle instead of allowing access to those in need at agreeable terms. I would like to clarify that we give tractors where there is effective demand and not for hire."
The Minister of agriculture urged District Internal Security officers to monitor and look out for how tractors or other agricultural value chain development equipment and technologies are being used by the beneficiaries. "Where a group is unable to utilize the tractor or other equipment provided, or is using it for purposes other than agricultural, please inform us so that we repossess and reallocate. The demand is already very high."
He said the Agriculture Ministry will also institute a team of auditors to carry out an assessment mission on the performance of all the tractors and other facilities like Milk coolers and maize mills.
"This will also in a way help us to re-evaluate the criteria for selecting beneficiaries for support in future. I ask you to accord our teams all the necessary support as they visit your districts."
Background to mechanization plans
Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has been implementing a number of interventions to enhance food and animal feed production and productivity in the Country.
These interventions are aligned to the six priority areas for the development of the agricultural sector i.e. agricultural mechanization and water for agricultural production, appropriate irrigation technologies, pests, diseases and vector control, strategic interventions in the fisheries sub-sector, and farmer education and sensitization.
Under the agricultural mechanization function, the Ministry has been providing assorted units of Tractors with implements to large scale commercial farmers,farmer groups, associations, churches and cultural institutions to aid them in opening up land for food and animal feed production.
These tractors have been given out either through the Ministry under the Department of Agriculture Infrastructure, Mechanization and Water for Production (DAIMWAP) or under the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS). The tractors however, remain the property of Government. The Ministry has only been entering Memoranda of Understanding (MoU s) with the beneficiaries as a basis of the relationship. These MoUs stipulate the ownership of the equipment, utilization conditions and the purpose as well as responsibilities of the parties (Beneficiary and Government).
The minister urged that before any individual or group or institution is recommended, there is need to establish that the entity is deserving. He stressed that when a tractor is underutilized or misused, the Ministry retains the right to withdraw and re-allocate it to deserving farmers and farmer groups.
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MAAIF will also institute a team of auditors to carry out an assessment mission on the performance of all the Tractors and other facilities like Milk coolers and maize mills among others.
This will also in a way help us to re-evaluate the criteria for selecting beneficiaries for support in future. I ask you to accord our teams all the necessary support as they visit your districts.
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