President Museveni has urged farmers in the Teso and Bugisu sub-regions to stop cultivating rice in wetlands, saying the practice is destroying the environment.
The President made the call yesterday while commissioning the Shs71 billion Achomai Irrigation Scheme in Kamutur Sub-county, Bukedea District. The scheme, which sits on 2,200 hectares of land and serves nine villages across Bukedea and Bulambuli districts, is part of the government’s broader plan to promote commercial agriculture through irrigation and sustainable water use.
‘I’m happy to be here to commission this Achomai Irrigation Scheme. I don’t eat rice myself; I eat cassava and bananas and our indigenous foods, but some of our people eat rice,’ Mr Museveni said. ‘It’s good to grow it but grow it safely, not in the swamp. You should take water from the swamp to the dry land and then irrigate,’ he added.
Mr Museveni explained that while rice has become an important cash crop for many farmers, growing it in swamps interferes with the ecosystem. ‘I don’t want rice in the swamp (osamai). I want it in the aroo (dry land), and then you irrigate. That is good because you’re now helping God to make rain. You’re creating rain in months when God is not bringing it. That is healthy and very good,’ he said.
He added that irrigation ensures farmers produce consistently while protecting communities from floods. ‘When you irrigate, you yield and produce more per hectare, but there is also another element of taming floods. When you make a dam, you capture water and retain it somewhere, and then you can use it when you want,’ he explained.
The President said the project demonstrates government’s commitment to turning subsistence farming into commercial agriculture through the use of modern technology and infrastructure.
Fulfilling pledge
Speaker of Parliament and Bukedea Woman MP Anita Among thanked President Museveni for fulfilling his promise to the people of Bukedea. ‘Before you brought this dam here, I used to think it was a myth. Now I’m seeing it in reality. This place used to flood, but now we have a fully-fledged irrigation scheme serving nine villages,’ Ms Among said.
She also commended Dott Services Limited, the contractor, for quality work. ‘They’ve done a very good job. You’ve commissioned the Achomai Irrigation Scheme and the breeding centre that’s just in the next village. As the people of Bukedea, we thank you,’ she added. Mr Athanasius Ssebugwawo, the project’s contract manager, said the scheme was constructed under the Agricultural Value Chain Development Programme funded by the government and the African Development Bank.
‘Before this project, the area suffered both extremes-harsh droughts during the dry season and floods during the rainy season. Now farmers can grow crops all year round,’ Mr Ssebugwawo said. He revealed that more than 1,800 acres were planted and harvested in the last season, with plans to expand to 2,000 acres in the next cycle.
The Achomai Irrigation Scheme features two drying yards, a warehouse, a workshop, a bridge, an administration block, and 58 kilometres of access roads.
The commissioning marked the end of President Museveni’s tour of the Teso Sub-region and the start of his campaign activities in Bugisu, where he is emphasising irrigation and value addition as key drivers for Uganda’s transition to a middle-income economy.
BACKGROUND
Through the National Irrigation Policy (2019) and the Irrigation Master Plan (2020), the government aims to increase the area under irrigated agriculture, promote water-efficient technologies, and support smallholder farmers with access to finance and extension services. The strategy emphasises the development of both large-scale public irrigation schemes and smallholder-based systems, integrating sustainable water management practices, climate-smart agriculture, and modern infrastructure.