MASAKA – President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has on Wednesday, July 24, met with the leaders of the greater Masaka region at St Henry`s Kitovu grounds, Masaka Municipality.
In his remarks, the President urged the leaders to embrace commercialized agriculture and change the traditional way of doing things.
“To sustainably carry out commercial agriculture, you must have sizable landholding. Therefore, I ask you to banish the practice of land fragmentation caused mainly through inheritance upon the passing of the family head,” he said.
He added that “I am specifically encouraged by the testimony of Mr. Kiiza Benon from Sembabule, a dairy farmer who is earning over 10 Million per month from Milk sales.”
Museveni further advised them to let the surviving members of the family share what is produced on the land.
“I ask you to pass on this message to others so that together we can improve the lives of our people,” said Museveni.
According to the president, the journey to transform Uganda has taken long which shouldn’t be the case because people do not have a common understanding/ vision.
“I compare this to what the bible says happened to the children of Israel when God promised to take them to the promised land. While the land of Canaan was not far, they wandered in the desert for 40 years,” he said
Museveni said62% of what they promised in the NRM manifesto has been implemented although it is largely government activities/roles that they have done.
“What remains now is how to lift the 68% of the population that is outside the money economy,” said Museveni.
Greater Masaka is composed of districts; Masaka, Sembabule, Lwengo, Bukomansimbi, Kalungu, Lyantonde, Kalangala, and Rakai.
This renders the land almost useless. In Kabale for example, it is almost impossible to do agriculture on a large scale because individual landholdings are so small.
