By Steven Enatu
KAPELEBYONG
Farmers in Acowa Sub County, Kapelebyong district under their umbrella, Acowa Farmers’ Cooperative Limited have received a modern storage facility for their produce.
Handover ceremony took place on Saturday 11th, June 2022 where the Minister of State for Teso Affairs, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Ongalo-Obote was the guest of honor.
The 1000metric tons storage facility was constructed by Kilimo trust under International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) at a cost of 120million through Building Resilience to Enhance Food and Nutrition Security, Incomes and Health in Northern Uganda (BRENU) Project, a component of the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU), a Government of Uganda program supported by the European Union.
Perez Muchunguzi, the project manager IITA said that the storage facility is aimed at boosting Acowa farmers’ cooperative limited post-harvest handling for food security and better prices than during periods of agricultural harvest where middlemen would come and cheat them.
Muchunguzi warned the leadership of the cooperative not to personalize the facility but rather ensure that it works for the good of all its members which is currently at 180 with room for new members.
David Ebunyu, the Chief Administrative Officer Kapelebyong District appealed through the state minister for Teso Affairs that the government may consider providing affordable loan incentives to enable the cooperative members stock in bulk in their facility.
John Okolimo, the chairperson Acowa sub county farmers’ cooperative limited said that with the help of the facility, the cooperative will be able to buy in bulk from farmers, package properly and store for sale at better prices.
He said that with first line machines helping them in harvest and post-harvest processes, the farmers now need the support of tractor services to boost production in large scale and irrigation schemes during dry spells.
“We used to hire storage facilities which were costly, our primary target is to package production and sell in bulk. We already have machines that help us in threshing for example soya beans, rice and making cassava chips ready to dry one, we now need machines that can enable us to move into processing with concentration on soya beans, rice and cassava,” he said.
Joseph Orat, the Local council three chairperson Acowa town council appealed to the government of Uganda to add funding to DINU and extend their stay in the region so as to cover other communities that have not yet benefited. He said the program is working effectively.
The State Minister for Teso Affairs, Hon. Dr. Kenneth Ongalo-Obote who was the guest of honor during the handover of the storage facility over the weekend urged the farmers to use the facility constructively to improve their livelihood and align its objective with the government’s programs like Parish Development Model.
This he said will help in supporting the cooperative to access loans with low interest rates to buy and store in bulk then sell.
He pledged to fight for the continuation of DINU programs having noticed the tangible impact of its activities in the beneficiary communities.
