KABALE – Farmers in Kabale district decry increasing the distribution of fake agro-inputs in the area.
The farmers raised the concern on Saturday morning when they were receiving 6656 kilograms of rice that was given to 102 villages in the Kaharo sub-county.
The 6.7 tons of rice is part of the 12 tons the district was promised by the Office of Prime Minister (OPM) to be shared among the residents of Kabale district.
The food relief from the OPM follows an outcry of food shortage by residents that forced the Kabale district woman Member of Parliament Catherine Atwakiire Ndamira and the Ndorwa West Member of Parliament Hon David Bahati to lobby for rice from the office Prime Minister.
During the handover, the farmers led by Kenneth Turyasingura and Safi Byamugisha all residents of Kibumba village in Kaharo parish noted that a number of input dealers in the sub-county sell fake or expired agriculture inputs which they say have left them counting losses.
Turyasingura and Byamugisha said that they have lost several gardens of cabbages, cornflowers, beans among others after spraying with fake agro-inputs.
The duo added that their crops dried up shortly after they were sprayed.
The Kaharo sub-county chairperson Edmund Tumwesigye says that he has received several complaints from farmers that most shops sell fake or expired agriculture inputs.
Tumwesigye says most of the farmers in the sub-county are illiterate that they cannot read the on the containers of inputs and end up buying expired inputs which lead them to huge losses.
The Kabale District Vice Chairperson Bridget Asinga Tumwesigye who honoured the handover urged farmers to always seek guidance from the sub-county Agricultural Extension workers on where to buy the agro-inputs.
The Kaharo Sub County Agricultural Extension worker Alex Orishaba says that despite the existence of expired and fake inputs on the market, most of the farmers have no idea on how to use the chemicals and where to buy good yielding seeds.
Orishaba added that they are working closely with the district production officer to fight unlicensed dealers from their area.
