Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni has rallied citizens to embrace farm skilling targeting improved production and home income generation for better livelihoods.
Mr Museveni made the remarks while commissioning different new farm facilities worth Shs40b, constructed at Bukalasa Agriculture College in Luweero District under the Uganda Skills Development Programme, yesterday.
He said the facilities present a new farm skilling opportunity with a complete value chain for not only the learners at the college but the greater Luweero community and the country at large.
“The new facilities will be extending science-led agriculture and animal production. You now have the livestock and crop production, growing and processing, the skilling programme and the value chain addition. The community should be able to access this knowledge from Bukalasa Agriculture College,” he said.
He added: “Animals should not die during the long dry spell season when you have the skills to process and preserve the animal feeds in the form of hay and silage. The farms units that we have just commissioned provide the opportunity for farmers to learn different means of processing the feeds.”
The President encouraged the people of Luweero to take advantage of the fruit processing unit commissioned at Bukalasa Agriculture College to add value to the mangoes and pineapple that they grow in the area.
“Your leaders have reminded me about the fruit processing plant for the Luweero farmers but the new fruit processing plant at Bukalasa Agriculture College should be an addition to the people of Luweero,” he said.
“When our people have different money generating projects, most of the family’s basic needs can be accessed. The leaders in Luweero have reminded me about the poor roads and the need to have more machines added to the existing road equipment. I also believe that Luweero is large and needs some more machines. The Ministry of Works will look into this problem and ensure Luweero gets more machines for the roads. The same will be done for some of the roads at Bukalasa where we have just commissioned the food processing plants. The roads at Bukalasa should have tarmac,” the President pledged.
Education Minister Janet Museveni congratulated Bukalasa Agriculture College management for transforming the institution into a centre of agricultural excellence.
“Under the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Uganda Skills Development Project has enabled Bukalasa Agricultural College to upgrade to a centre of agricultural excellence. Through the World Bank funded programme, the college is now equipped to add value to the farming sector,” she said.
Earlier, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Frank Tumwebaze, said the skilling programme is the way to go for the farming sector.
“What we see in Bukalasa now is what will help transform the country,” he said.
The facilities
The infrastructure commissioned yesterday include a feed mill, fruit processing plant, milk processing plant, livestock feed manufacturing plant, agro processing plant, modern library and an ICT block.
