President Yoweri Museveni has advised the people of Uganda to embrace marketing cooperatives that will boost their earnings as production is still low at household levels.
“This is a very good way of how you can transform your scattered efforts, especially in the marketing of your produce. You produce separately in your homes, when marketing, you collect your produce and market together. The Government of Uganda recommends this strategy to you,” he counseled.
The President made the remarks yesterday while presiding over the 92nd International Cooperative Day celebrations and the 20th United Nations International Day of Cooperatives held at Boma grounds in Soroti Municipality under the theme “Cooperatives Enterprises Achieve Sustainable Development for All”.
President Museveni, who was explaining to the gathering and the nation different types of Cooperatives that included, producer, savings and marketing cooperatives, noted that the latter helps cooperators to pool their strength and can also purchase agricultural inputs together and distribute them among members.
The President illustrated his point by using a Kinyankole proverb ‘ that likens Marketing Cooperatives strategy to small animals (called ‘Inotai’ in Ateso language) that can gang up to kill a big snake like a cobra.
Mr. Museveni explained that government started different efforts like NAADS to help the population to produce more through modern commercial agriculture. He, however, noted that for the last 13 years government spent Shs.1.300 billion with no impact on the ground. He said Soroti district alone annually receives over Shs. 800 million for NAADS; Shs.800 million for NUSAF; Shs.1.1 billion for PRDP and Shs.683 million shillings for micro finance.
“That money is for household incomes only, but you find that many people are still in subsistence farming,” he observed.
The President added that the inefficiency of NAADS’ officials called for the restructuring of the organization and now the involvement of the Army that will oversee the transformation of farming in the country.
He, therefore, called on all households in Uganda to take advantage of the new strategy to ensure both food and financial security in every home.
Commenting on the restocking exercise in Teso Sub-Region and other areas affected by wars, President Museveni assured the people of Teso that the verification exercise will be expedited so that the issue completed once and for all.
“The component of compensation will be done. I am going to make sure that the verification and compensation is done so that we finish this issue. You shouldn’t worry about this,” he assured the Iteso.
Mr. Museveni urged the Iteso to use the peace now prevailing in their region to produce wealth using all options available to them.
He later handed out certificates to the best performing Cooperatives in the country.
At the same function, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon. Amelia Kyambadde, pointed out that Uganda has, in the NRM government, registered a steady growth of cooperatives. She said that today there are 14,507 registered cooperative societies in the country with a membership of over 4 million people.
She also added that SACCOs constitute the biggest number in the cooperative sector with a total of 5,228 and a share capital of Shs.93,461,210.134 and that the country has 4,821 agricultural Marketing Cooperatives.
Hon. Kyambadde cited the Teso Fruit Cooperative Union as an organization that is deeply involved, together with Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), in pushing for the construction of Soroti Fruit Factory.
She further outlined challenges faced by Cooperatives in Uganda and the interventions carried out by her Ministry to address those challenges that include, among others, the weak legal and regulating frame work, limited skilled human resource, inadequate storage facilities and a low savings culture.