President Yoweri Museveni has reassured tea growers in Kanungu District that government is taking concrete steps to address the drastic fall in tea prices that has affected farmers for years.
“I was worried about the issue of prices for tea, but I was told what set us back was failure to use fertilisers and poor harvesting methods. Prices dropped because of poor planting and harvesting. The issue will be solved,” Museveni said.
The President made the remarks on Wednesday while addressing supporters at Rwere playgrounds in Kirima Sub-county as he campaigned for another term.
Tea farmers have long complained about the steep decline in prices, which have fallen from around USD 0.19 per kilogram to as low as USD 0.027 per kilogram. The situation has forced many growers to abandon their plantations or cut them down altogether, prompting calls for government intervention.
Museveni told the gathering that he introduced tea growing in the area after learning about it—together with former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and his wife Jacqueline Mbabazi—from Indian farmers. He noted, however, that government has designed a more robust plan to address the current challenges in the tea sector.
“We are going to provide a loan scheme for tea farmers to buy fertilisers. This will be for large-scale farmers, like those growing cocoa and coffee. You can buy fertilisers, and once you sell your products, you return the money,” he said.
He advised that tea production is more profitable when done on a large scale, cautioning that farmers with small land holdings should consider alternative crops for better returns.
Museveni highlighted what he described as key achievements over the past 40 years, saying peace ushered in by his government has laid the foundation for development. He cited several completed road projects and others planned for construction.
“We are to work on the road from Hamurwa–Kerere–Kanungu–Buleme–Buhoma–Butogota–Hamayanja–Ifasha–Ikumba, which is 149km. We have the money and we shall tarmac it. We shall also work on the Ishasha–Katungulu Road,” he said.
On education, the President expressed satisfaction that Kanungu now has 136 government primary schools and 22 government secondary schools, describing this as a sign of progress. However, he noted that some parishes and sub-counties lack both primary and secondary schools, while others have more than one—an imbalance he attributed to poor planning.
He reaffirmed government’s policy to establish at least one primary school in every parish and one secondary school in every sub-county.
Health Sector Plans
In the health sector, Museveni said that out of Kanungu’s 27 sub-counties, one has a district hospital, four have Health Centre IVs, and 10 have Health Centre IIIs, while 12 lack government health facilities altogether.
To close these gaps, government plans to upgrade Samaria Health Centre II in Nyakinoni, Nyarutojo in Kambuga, Mishenyi in Kayungwe, Mafuga in Rutenga, and Kihanda in Kihanda Sub-county to Health Centre III status.
“We are going to construct new Health Centre IIIs in Buhoma Town Council, Nyakabungo Town Council, Nyamirama, Nyanga, Kanyantorogo, Kihembe and Kyeshero sub-counties,” Museveni added.
Museveni urged residents to continue embracing subsistence-to-commercial production as a pathway out of poverty. He reminded them of the four-acre model introduced in the mid-1990s, which encourages poultry, fish farming, zero-grazing dairy cows, fruit farming, pasture growing and food crop production.
With the roll-out of the Parish Development Model (PDM), he said households can now use the shs1 million capital provided to engage in income-generating activities. Government has so far disbursed shs29.7 billion to 98 parishes in Kanungu, benefiting 29,726 households.
Under the Emyooga programme, Kanungu’s 36 SACCOs have received shs2.4 billion, supporting 29,545 members.
Mbabazi Rallies Support
During the same rally, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi urged residents of his home district to back President Museveni and the NRM in the forthcoming elections.
“I am among those who started the NRM party. Museveni has led us through difficult times. We are witnesses who know that Museveni is the best leader who has taken us through mountains and valleys. He is the best candidate,” Mbabazi said.