The National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADs) is set to spend Shs11Bn on the purchase of hoes President Yoweri Museveni promised farmers before the 2016 general elections.
The details of the expenditure are contained in the 2020/2021 national budget framework paper for NAADs that was today presented before Parliament’s budget Committee.
It should be recalled that while campaigning in November 2015, President Yoweri Museveni directed Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to ensure the purchase of 18 million hoes for six million households in the 2016/2017 Budget.
Museveni defended his decision saying the hoes would boost food security and incomes for small land owners and gradually transform Uganda from an agrarian to industrial economy by 2040.
According to the budget provision, NAADs would Shs11Bn for the provision of hand hoes and the Agency is planning to purchase 1million hand hoes, each costing Shs11,000.
NAADs is also proposing for the provision of 130 tractors and matching implements each costing Shs100M bringing the total cost to Shs13Bn.
Samuel Mugasa, Executive Director NAADs told the Committee that the tractors and implements will be distributed in accordance with the operational guidelines on access and management of the tractors.
Her also said that the provision of hands targets to support rural smallholders farming households as part of the food security intervention.
The projected resource envelop for NAADs expenditure in 2020/2021 is Shs145.89Bn with emphasis set to be put on procurement and distribution of improved input for planting materials which will be concentrated within the supported cluster commodities.
The other items NAADs has proposed to purchase include; provision of 30million tea seedlings each costing 400, which items would require Shs12Bn, 2.622million Citrus seedlings each costing Shs2,500 totaling to Shs6.556Bn, provision of 3.111million mangoes seedlings each costing Shs2,700 total cost is Shs8.4Bn
NAADs is also seeking for the provision of 6.666 million pineapple suckers each costing Shs300 at Shs2Bn, the provision of 333,333 cashew nuts each at Shs6000 totaling 2Bn as well as Shs17.4Bn for the purchase of maize, sorghum and cassava.
