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Locals urged to embrace large scale farming
By Wilfred Okot
Father Mathew Okun Lagoro during the press briefying on tuesday at For God. Photo by Wilfred Okot
PADER: The chairperson Acholi Bur Parish Project Father Mathew Okun Lagoro, has urged residents to make good use of the Mini-irrigation scheme that is located at Aringo mone Omuny-turubuc village, Latigi parish in Latanya Sub County, in order to practice large scale farming
The irrigation scheme was set up by the Ministry of Water and Environment in partnership with Acholibur parish project.
According to Okun this irrigation scheme is going to be more of horticultural in growing Vegetable crops that can easy be consumed and sold anywhere in both local, national and international markets.
“The project is a good move towards shifting farmer’s dependence on rain to reliable water supply for all year round farming as it will also emphasize on growing of vegetables among farmers’ group in the district,” he said
Okun made these remarks while addressing journalist at Archbishop John Baptist Odama’s residence at
For God in Gulu, on Tuesday this week.
His Grace John Baptist Obama during media briefying at his residence at For God. Photo By Wlfred Okot
In his speech, His Grace Archbishop Odama said that the holistic approach of cassava commercialization and industrialization in the region will promote the farmers towards achieving improved livelihood in the nearby future.
He said that through arrangement, they expect to mobilise more farmers in order to have improved livelihood and also be able to use safe and clean energy from ethanol and clean stoves.
“I think this will help so much in conserving our forest and the speed of the cook stove will be faster than the ordinary stove and firewood and if we get all this process moving through we shall see a full charcoal from cassava to agro processing factory translating this into fuel”, he said
Odama said that the lucrative markets for cassava products at the local, national and international markets drove them to initiate the project in the region where the crop has been seen as valueless in the past.
He revealed that the dried cassava chips will be used by Bukona Agro Processors Ltd in Nwoya district to manufacture ethanol, a bio-fuel that is expected to be promoted as an alternative source of fuel other than wood fuel that has seen depletion of forest covers.
“We are targeting the youth to be the center for this project of irrigation and they can have harvest three times a year and this to motivate the youth love agriculture and also move to promote agriculture among the youth so that they have something always in their pocket”, Odama added.
What is Acholibur Parish project?
According to Odama Acholibur Parish project is a church based organization started in 2017 under the trusteeship of Gulu archdiocese with at about 10,000 farmers.
The project aim at mass commercialization and industrialization of cassava growing in Northern Uganda
The Archdiocese in its bid to promote the project last year partnered with government through Operation Wealth Creation where farmers were provided with free high yielding cassava cuttings.
Despite the initiative, several farmers have over the years been left devastated after failing to get markets for their cassava.
Last year, thousands of farmers under the Acholibur parish project were left stuck with tons of cassava after failing to get markets leaving them at the mercy of exploitation from middlemen who buy cheaply.
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