BY ALEX PITHUA AND MIKE RWOTHOMIO
In the past years, The ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries ( MAAIF) gave four tractors to Zombo to boost production.
The tractors were allocated to Alur Kingdom ( 2) , Okoro coffee cooperative union ( 1) and Zombo tea Cooperative Union (1).
So it’s not clear which one was sold.
However, The minister for northern Uganda Grace freedom kwiocwiny in an interview with Journalists of Zombo Press Association, made a shocking revelation that one of the tractors is allegedly sold off in Nwoya District. Without delving much into the detail , Minister Kwiocwiny said that she has concluded with the investigation.
” We also concluded with one investigation which discovered that one tractor was sold to some farmers in Nwoya district” Kwiocwiny told Journalists.
She added that ” we have had some tractors here, but we learnt some tractors are hired in Nwoya District”
Kwiocwiny asked the people to own the tractors and monitor them.
Mean while In a separate interview with Ora county member of Parliament Lawrence Biyika Songa, He confirmed the distribution of tractors to the above entities adding that they will soon come for auditing.
He emphasized that Government policy is moving towards agro industrialization with intention of improving om climate smart agriculture.
He ordered the district to allocate the new tractor to Zombo District farmers association, a group that has over 1000 members. ZODFA members are producing matooke and Irish potatoes in bulk.
Meanwhile the leaders also commissioned the 30 walking tractors and these tractors were distributed in various sub-counties as the small scale farmers will be accessing them from the Sub-Counties and town council’s headquarters respectively.
Mp Songa discouraged farmers from land fragmentation and encouraged land consolidation, management, post harvest handling and value addition.
