President Yoweri Museveni has praised the youth of Matuumu village in Kisozi sub-county, in Eastern Uganda’s Kamuli district for showing not only the people of Busoga Sub-Region but the entire country, that poverty can easily be got rid of in the village through modern commercial farming.
The President was yesterday addressing members of Matuumu Youth Farmers’ Development Association in Kasozi Sub-County of Buzaya County in Kamuli district, who have hired 4 acres of land and are engaged in modern commercial agriculture.
The 30-member strong Association has grown passion fruits on one acre, another of banana plantains, one acre of coffee as well as tomatoes and have also started a piggery and poultry farm within the court yard. Their annual turnover is Shs.144 million with a net profit Shs.112 million.
President Museveni, who toured the farm and was led by the Secretary of the Association Mr. Patrick Dhogere, was impressed by the work of the youth and donated to them a pick-up truck for ferrying their produce to the market, a water pump as well as a chicken feed mill mixer.
Mr. Museveni commended the youth for heeding his call to wake up and tap wealth that he described as "Gold" from modern commercial farming and encouraged the people of the area in particular and Uganda in general to emulate, the youth of Matuumu. He said that the interest of the Movement Government is to ensure that all Ugandans are prosperous.
The President was accompanied during the tour of the farm by the Speaker of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga and some officials of Kamuli district.
Addressing a rally later that was organized by the Kamuli Local government together with Plan Uganda and Child Fund to celebrate the International Youth Day in Kamuli district, President Museveni assured the youth that government is looking for an appropriate system of smoothly delivering to them their funds that is already available.
The celebrations whose theme was "Entrepreneurship Skills, a Corner-stone for the Youth Employment Creation", was held at Lwanyama Primary School in Kisozi Sub-County, Kamuli district.
The President Museveni thanked the people of Busoga Sub-Region for their unwavering support to the Movement manifested in last year’s General Elections. He, however, called on them to join government in fighting poverty at the household level by engaging in modern commercial farming.
He pledged to provide each sub-county with machinery to add value to their produce. He also promised to support the District SACCO with Shs.50 million and the youth sub-county SACCOs with Shs.2 million annually.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, thanked President Museveni for gracing the occasion. She also passed on condolences to the government over the death of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and that of the Uganda Air Force officers who recently perished in helicopter accident in Kenya.
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