The Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation General Caleb Akandwanaho has called for a review of the program in order to make it more significant for the country.
The program, which runs under the National Agricultural Advisory Services-NAADS, is used for community mobilization, distribution of agricultural inputs, and facilitation of agricultural production chains across the country. It’s implemented by the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces – UPDF, as one of the strategies to eradicate poverty and facilitate the growth of household income through agriculture.
General Akandwanaho also known as Salim Saleh says that although Operation Wealth Creation has registered tremendous success in enabling subsistence farmers to access agricultural inputs, value addition and mechanization, it still faces operational challenges and policy gaps.
Saleh listed 25 challenges, among them, delivery of low quality of inputs, late delivery of inputs and delivery to wrong agro-ecological zones, land degradation and fragmentation, weak farmer groups, and inflation which is greatly affecting the price of inputs.
Gen Saleh called for the implementation of the regional logistics hub and the e-voucher card system as key steps that should be taken to refresh the program. Under the e-voucher system, allocations to farmers are made through an online system, age use tokens to pick farm inputs from logistical hubs or approved suppliers within their regions.
Saleh hopes that the system will minimize delivery of low quality and quantity inputs, control price fluctuations, eliminate ghost suppliers, and stop selective distribution of inputs.
