After realising that bad roads are a major hindrance to agricultural progress in the area, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has decided to improve the infrastructure leading to farms in Nyamukino Parish, Lungulu Sub-county, Nwoya District.
This was revealed yesterday (Wednesday) by the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Mr Vincent Ssempijja Bamulangaki, while addressing local farmers in the area after his official tour to Regil Agro Farm on 21 this month.
Farmers in Nyamukino told the minister how the cost of transport to Anaka town to sell their produce had increased from Shs20,000 to Shs40,000 due to poor roads coercing them to resort to middle men who end up buying their agro-commodities cheaply.
The minister said his visit together with other high profile officials from the ministry aimed to map out challenges affecting the agribusiness in the district.
“The purpose of the visit by this top team including the commissioner and planners among others is to get acquainted to the problems that farmers go through. When you look at the road itself it is potholed with many gulleys at the verge of turning into rivers yet we have a large number of farmers in this area going through all this challenge of transporting their product to the market,” observed Mr Ssempijja.
Mr Rana Karan Pratap Singh, Regil’s managing director said that poor road network remains a major problem to commercial farmers in the area.
“As commercial farmers, in 2019 we came together and approached the district to give us unit road equipment so that we can fuel it to help improve the bad condition of the road. But until now, they have not responded to our plight”.
Mr Rana noted that improving the road infrastructure would have been a tremendous effort in increasing their scale in production as they already have easy access to the road to the market.
“Last season alone we produced 5,000 tonnes of maize and rice and this season alone we are expecting 8,000 tonnes” he revealed.
Mr David Okello, a local farmer in the area believes that this is the right time for the road to be worked on since it is a political campaign period.
“We have been through this bad road for over 10 years and many especially politicians wait until election period approaches with false promises which at the end leaves us with high expectations for no reason.
