Minister of Agriculture Vincent ssempijja

The minister told MPs that the investigations carried out over consumption of poisonous cassava variety show that two children in Mulikiti parish and Panyangasi  in Rubongi sub county  eat this cassava and died .

He said that in Bugiri district, five sub counties were affected which caused the death of seven young people and others hospitalized. He attributed the death to the eating of a bitter and poisonous  cassava variety known as  mangana which is meant for processing cassava flour and it was eaten by these people due to lack of food caused by a long drought that hit the eastern region and other parts of the country.

The Minister also revealed that people had resorted to growing of this poisonous cassava variety to stop stray animals destroying it and thieves stealing it since it needs a lot of time process and utilize it. He said that the ministry has started sensitizing the people in eastern region on dangers of eating poisonous cassava variety without proper processing.

He said that Bugiri,Tororo and Busia districts to receive  2000 planting material bags of sweet cassava varieties to be given to people in affected villages  . He said that government plans to establish 250 acres of cassava mother gardens in these districts where farmers will pick stem cutting materials for planting to abandon the poisonous variety.

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Wandegeya Market constructed under MATIP Phase 1

Parliament has approved a loan, authorizing Government to borrow USD 84.2million from the African Development Bank to finance Phase 2 of the Market and Agriculture Trade Improvement Programme (MATIP 2). The programme aims at tackling market infrastructure development, value addition and trade facilitation. It will be implemented over a five year period in nine municipalities of Entebbe, Masaka, Mbarara, Arua, Moroto, Soroti, Tororo, Kasese, Busia; as well as in two town councils of Kitgum and Lugazi.

The Committee on National Economy, which considered the loan request, recommended having standard designs, quality work and evaluating the infrastructure. MATIP 2 is aimed at constructing 11 of the remaining 17 markets. The overall programme is expected to cost USD 93.7million, with a government contribution of USD 9.5million.

During the debate on Committee Report, legislators supported the loan request arguing that modern markets were a sign of development. Parliament Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga asked Government to be impartial in the implementation of the programme. “I need assurance from the Government that the rest of the regions without markets will also be considered,” the Speaker said.

The Minister of Local Government, Hon. Adolf Mwesige promised that the programme would be spread out to all parts of the country. “The first phase took four years, from 2010, to implement; we hope the second phase will be better, faster and more efficient with the purpose of stretching out to all regions of the country,” Hon. Mwesige said. He added that they would be able to iron out the defects in the completed markets and work around the recommendations of the Committee on National Economy for a successful Phase 2.

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