The Greater Masaka subregion’s residents have been hailed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for generating money through commercial agriculture.
The President expressed his happiness that the Greater Masaka community had listened to and positively responded to his wealth creation gospel, allowing them to now raise their standard of living.
I have to admit that I was overjoyed to meet Masaka when I arrived since even from the air (on the plane), I could see that many people had responded,” he said.
The President made the comments in Masaka city as part of his continuing Investment and Wealth Creation tour in Greater Masaka, which has as its slogan “Securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity.”
The President delivered the statement in Masaka city as part of his continuing Investment and Wealth Creation tour in Greater Masaka, which has as its slogan “Securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity.”He added that when someone like him preaches transformation, he is like the biblical figure of the Sower, who sowed some seeds on rocks and they didn’t sprout, others on thorns and they grew poorly, while some dropped on fertile grounds and they produced and multiplied.
“We began our initiatives in the 1960s; however, Amin later disrupted us; nonetheless, we restarted our operations in the 1980s. After conducting research, we learned that our people could raise cows for milk, cultivate coffee and bananas. We introduced milk coolers in 1989, and by 1995, residents in the Ankole cattle corridor and other nearby areas had begun to make money. Therefore, if you enter the livestock corridor, the situation completely changes. They now have solar panels and potable water, and they no longer live in grass-thatched huts. There, we were successful, the president stated.
In addition, the President reminded the residents of Masaka of the four-acre model effort, describing it as a significant development strategy that will assist regular Ugandans with limited land in create wealth.
“In the 1996 NRM Manifesto, we proposed the 4 acre model and then stated that if you have 4 acres, put coffee on 1 acre, put fruits on 2 acres, pastures for zero grazing on 3 acres, and put food crop on 4 acres. Then, do poultry in the backyard, and if you’re not a Muslim, put pigs. Put a fishpond in if a wetland is nearby. We included this in our 1996
“Manifesto, but as usual, people do not take into account these helpful things; instead, they are constantly engaged in politics of shouting,” he insisted. But it’s clear in Masaka that many of people paid attention to our message, and this is wonderful. I always arrive with the intention of inspecting the terrain. I must meet people who have altered their livelihoods, which is why I insisted on doing so,” he continued.
The President also gave examples of Masaka farmers who had used commercial agriculture to support themselves.
“I went to a place named kakunyu yesterday and I met a nice bunch there. First of all, one of them young folks is a professor at Busitema University, therefore they are intelligent individuals. On 120 acres of land, these 401 cooperative members grow coffee while intercropping it with bananas. Bananas bring somewhere between Sh8m and Sh10m per acre. They are a good illustration. For the first 40 acres, they received the seedlings from Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), according to President Museveni.
Later, I traveled to Kyesiiga. This individual currently owns 20 acres of coffee and 20 acres of pineapple. He earns Sh12 million from one acre of coffee. Why does he receive Sh12m? Along with seedlings from OWC, he also received an irrigation water pump from the Ministry of Agriculture. He is earning more money, in my opinion, as a result of spraying. He has also increased the number of seedlings he plants on one acre of ground from 450 to over 1000, and this is because from one acre, he earns Shs20m. Now you can see how much money he can generate from the 20 acres, Shs400m. You have a person who can generate Shs400 million from 20 acres here in Masaka, Kyesiiga,” he said.
The President gave the residents of Masaka assurances on the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga, saying that all they needed to do to ensure the programs’ success was caution and patience.
“Let’s work like rebels; they are disciplined individuals. I’ve recorded a few phone numbers of the folks that could speak, so if you notice any corruption or other poor behavior in your community, please call me so I can learn more. I’ll announce a phone number, which you can call to provide us with information. You simply state the truth; you save us your time-wasting fabrications. The team would then investigate the facts on the ground, the President promised.
President Museveni’s response came in response to a statement made by the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Bukomansimbi, Jane Frances Kagaayi, who claimed that the PDM implementation in the district had been delayed due to some technical issues with the system, which led to the discovery that some of the people on the list were ineligible to be among the beneficiaries.
“As Kagaayi mentioned, the PDM organizers appear to have a strong elitist bent. We will research it because all farmers in the parish ought to join the Parish SACCO regardless of whether you are wealthy now or not, our parish needs to work together to build prosperity. You cannot claim that Museveni cannot join the group of farmers because he is wealthy in my neighborhood, Kisozi, no! We should all become members, elect the leadership, and then establish rules for the usage of funds, starting with those who do not participate in the financial system, he added.
“Please allow those who are not part of the money economy to enter. Second, we need to combine those who are already registered with the system. For instance, the irrigation system is absent in Kakunyu. We’ll also research the subject of fertilizers. If so, should we provide subsidies? Because we are generating riches, it is a different story when I declare that I help others who use fertilizers.
