Towards the end of last year, 2023, the Busoga region led by the Busoga Consortium signed a trade cooperation agreement with Liaoning Province to market the Busoga’s agricultural food products including Cassava, Maize, Soyabean and Simsim to improve the welfare of households.
In the cooperation agreement, the plan to achieve these goals was to mobilise Farmers in corporations and groups that are to produce in bulk for the created market in Liaoning province in China.
As part of the operation of the bid to operationalize this, model piltol agricultural villages are to be set up in each local government in Busoga.
While touring Owek.Edward Hamlet Farm located in Jinja on 15 acres of land, Mr. Mula revealed the news of the strategy for the rolling out of the village agricultural model.
Edward Halmet farm is one the prominent farms in Busoga that is also used as the multiplication centre for several plant species and demonstration for maize, coffee, coco banana, and culture among others.
Speaking to the visiting team, Owek. Edward Munaaba commended the Busoga Consortium Village Development model program saying it was destined to be a game changer for Busoga transformation and pledged full support to the program in coordinating farmers to embrace the initiative
“I have over 300 farmer groups in these areas and this Village and will mobilise them -Said Owek. Munaaba paul
He has however suggested the program implementors to source farmers who have started on these agro-projects.
The Director General Mr.Mula Anthony assured Busoga farmers waiting for the program implementation that all is set for the identification of the said model villages per the local government of Busoga.
” We are in the final stages of writing the program concept plan for the project. its the reason why we are visiting farmers to familiarise themselves with the crop enterprise being proud in the different local governments of Busoga.
He said the consortium is considering signing more cooperation agreements with local companies to cater for the short-term market.
” We are in talks with a cassava processing company in Gulu to provide a market for cassava farmers who are producing in bulk. Mula Said.
Future strategies
The consortium is expected to establish 12 agricultural model villages across Busoga one per district.
Secondly, there shall be collection centres in every local government to facilitate bulk gathering of produce for easy delivery to the processing plant.
An agro-processing industrial park is set to be established in Jinja where Farmer’s products will be processed and packaged for export to the Chinese market.