Africa-Press – Uganda. Rwampara District residents have tasked the government to support them with a value addition equipment to leverage sales of their products and fight poverty.
The locals, who made the demand during the commissioning of the rural electrification programme at Ihena Village in Kabaale Parish, Rwampara District on Wednesday, said since the government had delivered electricity, they needed to start adding value to their agricultural produce.
“The issue of electricity has been an urgent need to the people of Rwampara and this will promote modernisation in our society, which is the way to go in case we want to transform Ugandans from the substance way of doing things to commercial business,” Mr John Namanya, the chairperson of Ndeija Sub-county, said.
“The people have embraced Parish Development Model (PDM), 100 percent and started various products and consequently they need electricity for value addition on their products to generate meaningful profits,’’ Mr Namanya added.
He said they requested for electricity from the government in 2014, but only a few villages have been covered.
“Since electricity is now fully commissioned, allow me to request and inform you that there are villages in Kibaale Parish that did not get the poles. Kiziba Village has 180 households, Mulago Village (58), Kibumba (177), Kibale Village (34), Kakuto Village (44), and Ihena Village (88),” he said.
The vice chairperson of Rwampara District, Rev Jackson Tumuhairwe, said the district grows a lot of coffee.
“Since this is now fully commissioned, we request the government to give us a government-aided coffee factory because in Rwampara, it is lacking. We are currently losing a lot while selling coffee beans. We take our coffee to distant places and this is very expensive for our farmers. So, we shall be grateful if granted that opportunity,” he said.
“We also request that you facilitate us with a maize grinding machine,” Rev Tumuhairwe added.
The district woman MP, Ms Molly Asiimwe, said people cannot embrace value addition without electricity
“Rwampara has hardworking people who grow coffee, Matooke, and keep cattle, pigs, and poultry. We had reached the level of value addition, but failed because of electricity,” she said.
Ms Asiimwe said 920 people received PDM money, but they are challenged by middlemen who frustrate value addition programmes.
“We want to stop middlemen so that we earn more. We have never had a factory because our electricity coverage has been below 30 percent,” she said.
Power target
The State minister for Energy, Mr Okaasai Sidronius Opolot, said the government’s focus is to give electricity to every Ugandan and stop over-reliance on firewood. “I know the challenges you have in processing your agricultural produce and many of these problems will be solved if given adequate electricity,” he said.
Mr Opolot said the request for a coffee factory in Rwampara will be tabled in Cabinet.
‘‘By 2035, everybody should be connected to electricity. That electricity which we have is not meant for lighting,” he said.
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