By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has commissioned 12 fish markets in 12 different districts across Eastern region under its project called Wetland Restoration Project in Uganda.
Wetland restoration project in Uganda is UNDP program which it introduced in 12 districts in eastern region having wetland areas like Budaka, Namutumba, Kaliro, Butaleja and Kibuku among others.
Through this project, a number of farmers who were evicted from different wetlands by government were given exotic goats and cows.
Still UNDP constructed fish markets in those 12 districts with the aim of being used by rice farmers who were chased away from wetlands as market for selling their fish since government asked them to use those wetlands for fishing.
According to Nwanne Vwede-Obahor, the UNDP representative in Uganda during the commissioning of the Nandere fish market located at Kibuku district on Monday, 18th November, 2024, they want to empower people who have been using wetlands for rice growing as the only source of income with other income generating activities.
Nwanne says that they used over 2 billion shillings to construct those markets and procuring the animals which were given to over 700 farmers from different districts.
She urged farmers to encourage their colleagues who are still carrying out rice growing in wetlands to leave such that they can restore the environment.
Joseph Kaugule, the Kibuku district natural resource officer says UNDP gave farmers in his district 33 cows and 42 goats adding that farmers who were removed from wetlands are now doing well with animal keeping.
He says that since government started removing people from wetlands, at least 90% of wetlands in Kibuku district have been restored.
Tom Mulongo and Sandra Mwebaze all rice farmers from Namutumba district expressed their happiness with the markets saying they are going to use them to sell their fish and other merchandises.
