President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandans in urban areas to embrace commercial farming and promote local content saying that farming is not only for village people, but even those who stay in towns.
“Now that we have good roads, security, and other infrastructure, I now appeal to our people to spend more time on creating wealth,” Museveni said.
He urged those farmers who are growing sugarcane to do it on a large scale if they are to reap from it. And for those who intend to do profitable farming on a small scale, Museveni urged them to concentrate on coffee growing, fruit farming, zero cattle grazing, poultry, piggery, and fish farming.
Museveni explained that the government is going to put more emphasis on the promotion of local content to maximize revenue and job creation.
“We spend a lot of money buying neckties, all sorts of hair and yet we can produce these same clothes or sweaters or even leather from our own industries,” Museveni said.
Meanwhile, the president rebuked the Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga accusing him of lying to the people about the pending Coffee Bill.
Mayiga on Wednesday said that the new Bill will surpass the coffee farmers because they will be required to have a license. Museveni refuted Mayiga’s statement as lies.
“This Katikkiro (of Buganda) was lying; he should stop lying. There is no license for coffee farmers but the Bill requires only registering of the farmers for record purposes and to ease exportation,” he said.
Further, in a bid create wealth, Museveni said that he has identified 16 categories of groups of people who will benefit from a new Fund that has been earmarked.
These beneficiaries from the 16 groups will have a Sacco in every district and among the groups includes; media, fishermen, carpenters, sewers, hair-dresser, and others. He also promised to set up another fund to benefit elected leaders.
The President who addressed a press conference at State House Nakasero after meetings with leaders in and around Kampala, called upon the leaders to advise the people to desist from land -fragmentation and instead practice the Western world method of formulating companies with shares that keeps the property in the families and brings about profits.
“Here in the towns, if there is one building for the family and the head of the family goes away and they don’t agree to own the building together, how will they solve it? You leaders must be to see that land fragmentation is not a good practice. We must change it or else the families will be poor,” he said.
On the issue of manufacturing and setting up factories, Mr. Museveni said that he was going to set up small factories like the ones he had done in Najeera and Nsambya. He urged the leaders to support making and buying products in Uganda as opposed to importing them; adding that this would create jobs for the youth and save the country money used on imports.
“I visited the lufula here in Kampala and they told me that they slaughter 300 cows a day. That means that there is leather from these skin-hides. We can employ the youth through this by manufacturing shoes, bags, chair seats, to mention but a few,” he explained.
In a joint memorandum from Kampala and Wakiso Districts that was presented by Engineer Andrew Kitata, of KCCA , President Museveni was thanked for starting up the ‘skilling the girl child” programme that was initiated in Kampala and is now being taken up in other districts. The memorandum proposed that government projects aimed at increaseing household incomes be done at the parish level and be based on what people can do. The districts proposed the development of Artisan Parks to improvise work premises, churn out quality products and secure market opportunities for the youth groups. A request was made for Wakiso to become a City.
During the meeting, President Museveni was also endorsed by the leaders of the 2 Districts as the NRM sole candidate for 2021 elections. He was also gifted with a Kanzu and a spear to continue leading the country.