Finance Minister Matia Kasaija has announced that government will allocate an additional Shs 1.059 trillion to the Parish Development Model (PDM) in the 2025/26 financial year to deepen efforts aimed at lifting households out of subsistence farming and into the money economy.
“By 30th June this year, a total of Shs 3.3 trillion will have been transferred to the 10,589 parishes across the country,” Kasaija told Parliament.
“This is to transform the households still in subsistence to join the money economy,”he added.
Each parish receives Shs 100 million per year, and so far, the programme has reached 2.63 million beneficiaries in all districts.
Of the funds disbursed, the minister said 45% has been invested in food and cash crops such as maize, cassava and bananas, while 36% has gone into livestock ventures like piggery, goats and cattle.
Another 12% was invested in poultry and 6% in other enterprises.
“These investments are changing the lives of Ugandans by boosting household incomes, enhancing food security and creating employment opportunities at local levels countrywide,” Kasaija said.
Kasaija also emphasized that the PDM has been fully digitised to improve efficiency and reduce corruption.
Beneficiaries are identified using their National Identification Numbers, and disbursements are made through the WENDI app.
Monitoring is conducted via the ZAIDI app to ensure that funds are properly used.
“Government is using the National Identification Number (NIN) and the PDM Information System (PDMIS) to identify the beneficiaries… and to ensure that the money goes to the right beneficiaries and that they are using it to finance the right enterprises,” Kasaija said.
Starting next year, every parish chief will be required to prepare an annual report on the State of their Parish Economy and Asset Register, also known as the SPEAR Report, to track progress toward full monetisation of local economies.
In the coming fiscal year, each parish will again receive Shs 100 million to benefit households not yet covered by the programme.
The government will also cover all bank charges to ensure that each beneficiary receives the full Shs 1 million.
Additionally, persons with disabilities will receive a supplementary grant of Shs 500,000 to address access challenges.
To support market access and value addition for PDM outputs, the government is investing in agro-industrialisation.
“In order to add value to, and guarantee markets for the PDM outputs, Government has stepped up investment in agro-industry,” Kasaija said.
He cited products like nutritional and baby foods made from milk, maize, eggs and fruit.
Kasaija also noted that government has so far injected Shs 413.4 billion into the Agriculture Credit Facility (ACF) to further support commercial agriculture and rural transformation.