STAKEHOLDERS ROOT FOR BOOST IN AGRICULTURE ACROSS WEST NILE

Stakeholders during a joint stakeholder’s capacity strengthening meeting on Agro-inputs in Arua city.(Photo by Erema George)

By Erema George

Arua City

Stakeholders in Arua City have raised concerns over what they describe as low pace of development in the agricultural sector in West Nile and particularly Arua city due to several factors like insufficient research among others.

According to Rashid Onzima, the secretary for production, works and technical services Arua city, farmers in West Nile have neglected carrying out research, a factor contributing to the low growth in the region;

“The pace at which we are developing is very low, I think to me it is because we have deviated from academia, whatever we want to do we needed to subject it to research. We have Muni University that we can make use of but we we’ve deviated from Academia, we are doing things that are not research based and I think this is one of the reasons why our development is very low,” Onzima noted.

Onzima noted that this has resulted to the importation of food from other regions instead of producing them locally with the resources available;

“Of late people of West Nile particularly Arua city have opted to eat what they cannot produce and they have deliberately refuse to produce what they want to eat so in turn we import what we want to eat when actually we have vast land to produce what we want to eat,” Onzima added.

Meanwhile the deputy Arua city mayor Jackson Dratibi faults Abi Zardi, and Muni University for not creating impacts on the communities around them noting that their existence in the communities should have solved problems of the community members;

“Abizard is in Obopi cell and if you go there, you don’t see any impact of what is being practiced there which should have been a demo center to demonstrate how research can help in improving the lives of the people. Research should help in solving people’s problems and our problem here is poverty. People I would expect around Abizard and Muni University should be very progressive farmers because research should have influenced their farming methods so that they would be putting a lot of money in their pockets,” Dratibi explained.

Whereas, job Richard Matua, the Assistant resident city commissioner of Arua City, urges the city production department to promote the production of specific crops across Arua City and West Nile at large in order to boost the agriculture in the region;

“Can Arua city be known for producing one thing, even if it is hot paper, I will take pride in it, what are we producing? I am suggesting that bring back muni university agriculture department and Abizard and you the production people, please let’s see what we can do for our people. I want to see one product or four products that our people are producing in Arua city here and gives the household the money,” Matua urged.

Successful agriculture relies on careful planning, market research, and smart resource management. Key practices include choosing the right crops, keeping good financial records, and using sustainable farming method.