BY Ouni Jaspher & Denis Omiji
BUKEDEA: The NRM Presidential Candidate, General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, will be wrapping up his campaign in Teso Sub-region today with a final rally in Bukedea District.
He will then kick off his Presidential campaign in Bugisu Sub-region with his first rally in Sironko District.
Before the final rally in Bukedea, President Museveni handed over the Agricultural Value Chain Development Program that serves Bukedea and Bulambuli districts by commissioning the Acomai Irrigation Scheme.
This system aims to collect and store water from flood-prone areas and swamps in order to support agriculture and increase yields during dry seasons.
During the commissioning of the Agricultural Value Chain Development Program, President Museveni highlighted how the irrigation scheme will benefit agriculture in the area.
He also stressed the importance of conserving wetlands for sustainable agriculture, particularly by banning rice cultivation in these areas.
Eng Athanatius Ssebugwawo, the contract manager for the construction of the Acomai irrigation scheme, explained the scope of the project.
He described how the area used to suffer from both droughts during dry seasons and flooding during rainy seasons, making it difficult for people to live there.
The Minister of Agriculture has brought a project that has addressed our main concerns, as stated by Ssebugwawo.Since 2019 and 2020, when surveys were initiated, there was minimal activity in this area during the worst times.
However, the efforts put in by the Minister have resulted in progress in all nine surrounding villages, including seven in Bulambuli.
The problem of excessive flooding is now a thing of the past.Ssebugwawo emphasized that the area has now registered a significant increase in agricultural activities and people have successfully cultivated various crops throughout the year, leading to improved livelihoods.
According to Ssebugwawo, Minister’s efforts have been instrumental in this development as seen in the testing phase before the official handover to the Ministry, the locals have made the most of the last two seasons where over 1800 acres were planted and harvested in the previous season, and the target is to increase to 2000 acres in the upcoming season.
Ssebugwawo also pointed out that the people have the freedom to grow any crops of their choice as the Ministry does not impose any restrictions on the type of crops to be cultivated.
He said their main role is to control the flooding and ensure that water is accessible at the entry points of the farms for irrigation purposes.
