Government has been distributing tractors lately
Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among has tasked Government to explain the rationale behind the distribution of tractors without ploughs to the farmers in Northern Uganda, wondering if the tractors that are now lying idle at the districts headquarters were merely intended for decoration.
This followed a complaint raised by Christopher Komaketch (Aruu County) who decried the failure by Government to provide ploughs for the tractors allocated to farmers in Northern Uganda, saying this has left the tractors lying idle at the districts headquarters, yet the peasant farmers are in need of this machinery for their farms.
“Speaker, you made a pronouncement regarding tractors that were given to Northern Uganda by the President. And the pronouncement was simple, that the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Finance make sure that the tractors that they gave to the peasant farmers in Northern Uganda, specifically Acholi sub-region and Pader district do have ploughs with them. Up to this day, tractors are parked, they are rusting in the district, peasant farmers move by, they only have a glance and the tractors aren’t being used. I request that you direct that the tractors be availed with ploughs so that our farmers can receive them,” noted Komaketch.
It is at this moment that Among said, “Government, you gave out the tractors and you never gave out the ploughs, was that for decoration?”
Mario Obiga, Minister of State for Urban Development committed to inform the Ministry of Agriculture of the concern raised by MPs so as to provide the latest position on why the ploughs haven’t yet been provides for the tractors.
“It isn’t only in Acholi region, but in many parts of the country, these tractors were given and the Minister promised that they were going to procure the ploughs and this hasn’t been done. I undertake to inform the Minister of the urgency of this matter so that he comes to Parliament and gives us the latest position,” said Minister Obiga.
