Guide the people into commercial farming – Museveni to Teso leaders

President Yoweri Museveni has strongly urged leaders in Teso Sub-Region in particular and Uganda, in general, to carry out a census in their parishes to identify people who are still stuck in the traditional way of agriculture and sensitize them to immediately adopt commercial and calculated agriculture that will get them out of poverty.

“This is the biggest problem in Africa. All Africans do agriculture for the stomach only. You as leaders go back to your parishes and carry out a census and see how many households are still doing subsistence farming. Every home must practice commercial and calculated agriculture,” he stressed.

The President who is currently on a country-wide zonal tour, meeting leaders in order to advise them on how to get wananchi out of poverty, was yesterday addressing leaders from Teso Sub-Region at Teso University in  Dakabela, Soroti District. The leaders were drawn from the 9 districts of Teso Sub-Region – Amuria, Bukedea, Katakwi, Kapelebyong, Kumi, Kaberemaido, Ngora, Serere and Soroti.

President Museveni, who apologized for being late at the function due to some other government engagements in Kampala, told Teso leaders that NRM has for a long time been preaching the gospel of commercial farming. He, therefore, advised them in their capacity as leaders not to attempt to shoulder all the challenges from their constituents but to show the constituents the way out of household poverty.

“Leaders try to carry a constituency by themselves. The idea is not to carry the constituency but to lead and show them the way which is to move from subsistence agriculture to commercial farming,” he counseled.

The President told them that he introduced the growing of citrus fruits in Teso because cotton was not economically viable for the people of the area.

“I introduced citrus in Teso Sub-Region because I saw the Iteso could not survive economically on cotton. An acre of citrus fruits can fetch a farmer Shs.12 million in a season,” he said.

President Museveni added that since the average land holding of families in the region is small, people should select enterprises that allow intensive farming with high returns like poultry, piggery, bee keeping and those near the swamps can go for fish farming.

He also cautioned them on the archaic inheritance practices that are fuelling poverty when land is fragmented. He advised families to form companies so that the passing on of a family head, what is derived from the consolidated land can be shared among family members instead of physically dividing the land.

President Museveni pledged to invite delegations from all the zones he has visited to Kiruhuura District so that they see for themselves the work he has done since the 1960s to get the people out of household poverty.

“What I am telling you is not a story nor have I read it from books. I have been doing this since 1966 in Ankole Region,” he said.

He, however, pledged to extend government support to organized Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCO) groups in each district in the country, including those in Teso Sub-Region, similar to the support that has been accorded to groups in Kampala, especially the youth.

Earlier, Soroti District LC5 Chairperson, Mr. Egunyu Mikairi, commended   President Museveni for the meeting describing it as the first of its kind. He also thanked him for the peace now prevailing in the area and the country at large that has enabled development to take place in Teso Sub-Region.

 Endorsed for 2021

Meanwhile, the National Resistance Movement leaders from Teso Sub-Region have joined their counterparts from other zones in the country in endorsing President Museveni’s sole candidature as the NRM National Chairman and Presidential flag bearer in the 2021 elections.

The NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Region, Captain Mike Mukula, read the Presentation while the Kaberamaido NRM Chairperson, Charles Enepu, read the resolution. The resolution was seconded and endorsed by NRM District Chairpersons from Soroti, Kumi, Ngora, Serere, Bukedea, Amuria, Kapelebyong and Katakwi.

Like their colleagues in other regions, Teso leaders have pledged to massively mobilize for President Yoweri Museveni during the polls. Other interest groups including women, youth, elderly and people with disabilities, also endorsed the President as National Chairman of NRM and sole candidate in the forthcoming general elections.