Museveni inspecting a farmer in Kabale over the weekend.

President Yoweri Museveni has encouraged farmers in the country, who are engaged in crop production, to instill in their minds the culture and practice of growing crops all year around using any improvised means of irrigation scheme to combat drought spells.

“The science of pumping water from a water source to a reservoir at a higher altitude, then pump it to the farm and irrigate the crops with help of solar powered water pump is the way forward for Uganda,” he said.

He observed that once the system is installed, it only requires more solar panels to increase the capacity for extension use to more users.

“The dry season is no longer a problem. Free water is available and people cry over drought season. The dry season is for those who are not enlightened and the uninformed. Even developed countries, which receive minimal level of rain level, have their agricultural practice on irrigation,” he added.

The President was today commissioning a solar water pumping irrigation system at Kyerero village, Nyamihanda Parish near Muhanga Township in Bukinda, Rubanda county, in Kabale district. The system was installed on the farm of Mr. Charles Kwehangaana Rutaro following the President’s pledge in 2010. Farmer Kwehangaana Rutaro grows apples, a variety of passion fruits and other crops on a two-acre piece of land. The enterprise earns him Shs.43 million per year.

The purpose of the installation was to demonstrate applications of solar water pumping as an economical and sustainable option for irrigated agricultural production.

While inspecting the project, President Museveni said that the purpose of his visit to the farm was to assess the effectiveness of solar water pumping irrigation scheme. He, therefore, tasked the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, former NAADS and the Ministry of Water and Environment, to install in the districts of Kabale, Kiryandongo, Masindi, Kaberamaido, Soroti, Katakwi, Kumi, Mukono and Luuka solar water pumping irrigation schemes. He reiterated government’s commitment to distributing more solar water pumps to the people.

“What I wanted to prove was the science behind the cost of locally established irrigation scheme”, he said.

Museveni inspects a farm which uses irrigation in Kabale district.

Addressing rally following the tour, the President told the people of Rukiga County that a good leader is one who guides people to shift away from mass eradication of poverty through modern methods of farming with accountability in mind. He, however, strongly warned them against agricultural practices in wetlands.

He commended the people of Rukiga County for voting the Movement overwhelmingly during the 2016 Presidential, Parliamentary and council level elections saying that this symbolized massive politically uprooting of the opposition from the area.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Vincent Ssempija, State Minister for Planning, Hon. David Bahati and State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations and area MP, Hon. Herbert Kabafunzaki, accompanied the President.

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Minister of Agriculture, Vicent Ssempijja.

The Minister of Agriculture, Vincent Bamulangaki Sempijja has threatened to quit his cabinet post if his ministry fails to hit a target of 20 million coffee bag productions by 2020.

Sempijja made the remark while meeting with the board members of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) which was held at the Coffee house in Kampala on Thursday.

He told the new managing director of UCDA, Dr.Emmanuel Lyamulemye Niyibingira, that they will both have to quit their offices should they not work hard to ensure that coffee production reaches 20 million bags in the next five years.

Sempija said that the country must produce coffee from the existing 3.5 million bags coffee to 20 million bags to increase on the export for the country to generate more revenue and ensuring improved livelihood for the people that will eradicate household poverty.

“There is no reason we cannot hit 20 million bags from our current 3.5 million bags annually. Government is making alot of efforts that will ensure coffee production increases.What has been holding us back is the quality of our coffee on the world market which would sometimes bring disadvantages because of the way farmers were handling the crop.However, with the available laws, that should be sorted so that will handle all the bottlenecks and be able to sustain our markets and hence improve the lives of our people in the rural areas. If i don’t hit my target of 20 million bags exported annually in the next 5 years, i will quit as a minister forever,” Sempijja said amidst laughter from the people attending the meeting.

A woman smiles in a coffee plantation in Central Uganda. Current coffee exports are 3.5 bags million annually and the government now has plans to increase supply to 20 million bags annually in the next 5 years.

He demanded for production of quality coffee on market using available laws, adding that there should be no excuse for lack of new coffee law to compromise the coffee standards.

Lyamulemya, on his part pledged to ensure that the government’s target of 20 million bags production is realized.

He however, noted that extra funds is required for procurement of more coffee seedlings through nursery operators since the available  funds can only cater for the coffee seedlings of the  current season.

The post “I will resign if i don’t hit coffee export target,” says Agric minister Sempijja first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.