Members of Parliament (MPs) serving on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee have interrogated officials from the Ministry of Defence regarding the staggering expenditure of Shs1.7 million to produce a single acre of maize.
This revelation prompted some MPs to compare the cost to that incurred by ordinary Ugandan farmers, who reportedly spend approximately Shs500,000 per acre on maize production.
According to the Auditor General’s report, the Ministry of Defence allocated a substantial sum of Shs21.769 billion to this project, with an anticipated revenue generation of Shs37.968 billion from maize harvest sales.
However, the actual revenue generated amounted to only Shs9 billion. MPs expressed bewilderment at why the military did not opt to purchase food directly from farmers instead.
Francis Ngabirano, Under Secretary Logistics at the Ministry of Defence, defended the project during the committee session, attributing the poor performance to the project’s emergency nature in response to food and security threats.
He cited late planting, which commenced in September, leading to reduced acreage planted and a maize yield loss of approximately 25%.
Ngabirano provided insight into the projected costs of maize and soybean production, comparing them to the actual costs incurred.While the Ministry of Agriculture estimated the cost of producing maize at Shs1,590,000 per acre, the Ministry of Defence’s actual expenditure stood at Shs1,750,000 per acre, with a variance of Shs165,000. Similarly, for soybeans, the projected cost by the Ministry of Agriculture was Shs1,359,000 per acre, whereas the actual cost incurred by the Ministry of Defence was Shs1,556,000 per acre, representing a difference of Shs197,000.
The committee has vowed to further scrutinize the Ministry of Defence’s expenditures in light of these revelations, seeking clarity and accountability regarding the discrepancies highlighted in the Auditor General’s report.
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