Dokolo-Youths farmer groups in Dokolo district Lango sub region have received Agri equipment farm tools worth Shs200 million to boost their owned agribusinesses and overcome the economic hardship of #Covid-19 from Heifer International Uganda.
Dokolo Young Oil seed farmer’s cooperative society Limited and Kwera Young Oil seeds farmer’s society Limited were the beneficiaries of the support after they were previously developed by Heifer Uganda since 2019 to stimulate youth employment in agricultural sector within the district.
The equipments include a tractor, TAFE brand (complete with a disc plough and trailer), and two tricycles, maize shellers, heavy duty weighing scales and grain moisture meters to improve on the annual agricultural production and productivity from the current 300MTs of oil seeds to 1,000 MT with growth in membership and production acreage in the next three years.
The tractor will improve on the transportation of products from the satellite stores to the central bulking center in Dokolo town council, the tricycles will support the hubs in grain aggregation from the hard-to reach households to the satellite bulking stores.
Rashid Acuma, the chairperson Dokolo young oil seed cooperative disclosed that the tractor they received will help them in improving their production since they were using hand hoes which were not efficient.
According to Musa Aluka the manager young oil seed cooperative, the equipments is a big boost to their livelihoods because they used to plant seeds late due to lack of mechanization hence low production.
Issa Ainamagara, the project manager learn for agribusiness is optimistic that the equipments fully procured, the youths will increase their productivity and household incomes
Speaking at the handover of the equipments at Dokolo district headquarter, Anna Odongo the Resident District Commissioner Dokolo reiterated government’s commitment towards improving livelihoods of young people through direct interventions and providing an enabling policy environment favorable for partners cautioning the cooperative boards to take good care of the machinery and benefit the intended users.
William Matovu, Heifer Uganda Country Director applauded Dokolo District Local government for closely collaborating with the organization through the learn for Agribusiness Project while recognized the support offered under the Agriculture Cluster Development Project) to the Dokolo Oilseed Young oil seed Farmers’ Cooperative to construct a storage site and installation of agro-processing machinery for cassava worth $89,954.
Mr. Matovu implored the district leaders for the two hubs to ensure the items are utilized optimally to benefit the youths in order to attract more to the farming fold.
The intervention is part of Learn for Agribusiness project activities implemented by Heifer International, EDUKANs and Dokolo district local government. To-date the project has supported 3,792 with 1,200 being members of the two cooperatives.
Heifer International seeks to expand its interventions in the oil seeds value chains especially (Soybeans, sunflower and sesame) to continue with its transformative work of driving more than 100,000 young people into self-employment in the next five years with the goal to place them on a path to achieve a Living income benchmark of $4,601 annually for a household of six members in Northern Uganda.
