PARLIAMENT The Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among has tasked the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to release 4billion shillings to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) to distribute Seeds to farmers across the Country.
The Speaker was on Thursday March, 30th 2023 chairing the Plenary and tasked the Ministry of Agriculture to explain why farmers haven’t received seeds this planting season.
Members of Parliament on Wednesday March 29th, 2023 raised concern over delays by government to distribute seeds to farmers countrywide.
Abim District Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Janet Okori-Moe said that it will be unfortunate for government to wait for food shortage and then request for Shs135 billion to address the crisis instead of distributing seeds during the planting season
The Speaker of Parliament said government had committed its self to give out seeds every planting season distributed under Operation Wealth Creation and National Agricultural Advisory Services instead of training people to reserve some seeds after harvests, and directed the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Industry Hon. Frank Tumwebaze to make a statement before the house.
In his statement to the house on Thursday, the Minister of agriculture Hon Frank Tumwebaze said the Ministry had not received any funds to procure seeds to distribute to farmers since the budget had been channeled to the Parish Development Model Programme, and also tasked the Ministry of Finance to explain why the funds were not disbursed.
The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Hon. Matia Kasaija said that they had the Ministry had an assumption that small farmers would used the PDM money to buy seeds.
However, the Speaker told Minister Kasaija that he had a wrong assumption since the PDM which is meant to benefit only 39% of Ugandans have not yet benefited, and asked where the remaining percentage will benefit from given the fact that Agriculture is the back borne of Uganda
The Speaker of parliament Anita Among directed the Ministry of Finance to release the required 4billion in a period of one week to the Ministry of Agriculture so that they provide seeds to every Member of Parliament to deliver to all constituencies country wide.
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