BRAVO: Kumi District Commissions Shs300M Small-Scale Irrigation Projects

By Weswa Ronnie

KUMI

A total of twelve farmers have reaped the benefits of the small-scale irrigation scheme initiative funded by the World Bank through UGIFT.

This project aims at solving the adverse impacts of climate change on agricultural produce.

Rajab Ogogol, the district production officer in Kumi told our reporter on Thursday that the government’s substantial backing of 75 percent amounts to 204 million shillings, while the farmers themselves contributed 96 million shillings.

Ogogol emphasized that each recipient is required to provide 25 percent of the project’s costs, with the government generously covering the remaining 75 percent.

He encouraged additional farmers to partake in the initiative, highlighting the availability of further government funding to support them.

Nelson Elungat, the Kumi district chairperson LC5, made an impassioned plea to government to alleviate the financial burden on farmers, thereby enabling a broader spectrum of beneficiaries to partake in the governmental assistance.

Elungat said that the project appears to cater predominantly the rich while neglecting the impoverished individuals who would stand to benefit most from such interventions.

Washaki Ahamada, the Kumi Resident District Commissioner, expressed his happiness with the project saying it will enable farmers to engage in year-round cultivation, thereby augmenting their household incomes significantly.

He underscored the government’s commitment, spearheaded by President Museveni, in fulfilling the NRM manifesto for 2021-2026 by facilitating irrigation water access, urging the beneficiaries to leverage the project for their personal betterment.