By Jacky Achan
Ugandans in the agriculture sector are losing money as a result of using hand planting instead of machine-aided planting, says politician Emmanuel Lumala Dombo “Before I was a politician, my parents taught us how to dig.
We produced food, but not for sell; we produced cotton to pay our fees. It was the only cash crop. The food was for consumption.
“But right now, I sell maize, chicken, milk, pumpkins, whatever comes my way. If there is money, I will produce and sell it,” said Dombo, who is a seasoned politician and NRM Director of information and publicity.
“I am looking for a machine planter. Many Ugandans are losing money because they use hand-planting. The planting specifications are not right, but also people who plant put in more seed per hole, yet the seed is very expensive.
Once we streamline planting and post-harvest handling, the rest can proceed. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) estimates that about 68% of Uganda’s working population is employed in agriculture. The president has always emphasised that the biggest sector that employs Ugandans is agriculture.
Previously, it was employed by peasants, but as we transition from peasant agriculture to commercial agriculture, agriculture has attracted many young people to universities, and even the older people are learning new skills,” Dombo says.
What the future holds
Progressively, agriculture is going to be one of the leading sectors in food production, employment, and manufacturing, Dombo enthused.
“I have been mesmerised by the turn-up (at the harvest money expo). I have just bumped into a member of parliament from South Sudan who has come to see what’s happening so that he can replicate the same back home. And we have agreed to remain in contact,” he said.
This year’s expo is being sponsored by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Uganda, Engineering Solutions Ltd. (Engsol), K-ROMA (Bella Wine), Tunga Nutrition, Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), Pepsi Cola, and aBi Development.
The three-day expo that got underway on Friday, February 14, 2025, will end today, February 16, 2025, and is being held under the theme Farming as a Business, Value Addition, and Co-operatives.
