Govt gives motorcycles to agricultural extension workers
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has distributed over 40 motorcycles to extension workers in 28 districts prone to livestock diseases.
The move aims to boost livestock production, enhance disease control, and empower agricultural staff who have been struggling to deliver services due to lack of transport and facilitation.
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During the handover ceremony at the ministry headquarters, Minister Frank Tumwebaze expressed confidence that the mobility challenge faced by extension staff has been addressed.
““No excuse for not reaching out to the farms, don’t use these motorcycles to carry charcoal or boda bodas but use them for purposeful reasons,” Tumwebaze noted.
He urged beneficiaries to use the motorcycles efficiently and for purposeful reasons, warning against misuse.
The beneficiary districts include Ntungamo, Kyankwanzi, Kiryandongo, Isingiro and others.
Tumwebaze noted that additional motorcycles will be allocated to field teams under the Irrigation for Climate Resilience Project (ICRP).
The minister emphasized the importance of disease surveillance, best cropping practices, marketing, and weather mapping to enhance production.
He urged Resident District Commissioners and security operatives to monitor the use of the motorcycles and prevent corruption.
MAAIF has prioritized commercializing agriculture to move farmers from subsistence to commercial farming.
MAAIF Permanent Secretary Maj Gen David Kasura Kyomukama emphasized the ministry's commitment to equipping all districts with necessary tools to boost agricultural productivity.
The motorcycles will support extension workers in implementing government programs, ensuring disease control, inspecting farms, and sensitizing farmers.
They will also reinforce animal disease surveillance and reporting, as well as other veterinary and extension services.
“We are making sure that we commercialize agriculture so that we move people from subsistence farming depending on nature into commercial agriculture with what our president calls ‘ekibalo’ in the agricultural sector” Maj Gen Kasura emphasized.
