Karamoja: New cattle market in the offing
GERALD MATEMBU
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Construction works for Nakiloro cattle market have kicked off in Rupa sub county, Moroto district.
Earlier attempts to construct the the cattle market ended in futility after UNDP withdrew funding.
The project was resurrected with funding from World Bank under the Pastoral Livelihood Resilience Programme.
The market will serve the cross border towns in Uganda and Kenya due to its strategic location.
On a monthly basis over 6000 heads of cattle are sold within homesteads in Karamoja sub region.
The project is expected to boost cattle trade between the Karimajong and Turkana of Kenya.
The construction project was officially launched by the minister of Agriculture Bamulangaki Ssempijja.
The minister also handed over improved breeds of livestock to area leaders on behalf of the identified beneficiaries.
Over 900 goats and 300 cows are expected to be distributed to farmers across the 12 benefiting districts in addition to other interventions such as disease and pest control, provision of water resources, supply of apiary equipment and introduction of farmers to modern farming methods.
The minister affirmed government's commitment towards enhancing the livelihood of pastoral communities through food security and commercial production.
Lomonyang Joseph, the LC5 Chairman Napak district applauded the move adding that farmers are already embracing the technologies.
He called for cross border vaccination adding that earlier vaccination efforts were bogged down by the influx of infected cattle from Turkana to the region in search of water and pasture.
The Regional Pastoral Livelihoods Resilience Project is a regional project financed by a $ 40 million loan from the World Bank and implemented by three IGAD member states: Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.
