By Allan Richard Odoch
Gulu district officials on Monday rejected citrus seedlings that were supplied to the district under the Operation wealth creation (OWC) say the timing of the delivery of the seeds is poor.
The officials said the seeds should have been supplied at the beginning of the rainy season which is now coming towards an end. The rainy season usually ends around November.
In a crisis meeting chaired by Ojara Martin Mapenduzi, the district LCV and Dorothy Ajwang, the Gulu Chief Administrative Officer(CAO), Mapenduzi said the 45,000 citrus seedlings which were each bought at 3,500/= each have been supplied at the end of the rainy season.
Mapenduzi said the district will not allow the CAO to acknowledge receipt of the seedlings worth 157 million shillings because it is past the planting season.
“The OWC secretariat ordered the supplier to supply 45,000 citrus seedlings to Gulu but there was no proper coordination with the district production department and our farmers are not even ready,” Mapenduzi said.
The Chairman said for now the supplier will have to keep the seedlings until farmers who are ready to pick the seedlings this season show up, if not, the supplier will have to keep them till the next rainy season.
Col. Obwot Robinson Olwa, the OWC coordinator for northern Uganda noted that farmers have expressed concern about the timing of the supplier, saying it’s not appropriate.
Maj. Gen. Julius Oketta, the deputy Chief OWC coordinator in Uganda said that they have come out with a new guideline that will see the next phase of the supplies follow a ‘‘bottom-up approach.’’
Gen Oketta said the new guideline will see districts get demand from the parish level and order the for the supply of only what the community are demanding for, and that this will reduce on the issue of dumping of seedlings supplied under the program.
Gen. Oketta said the supplier must respect the district and comply with it to make operational wealth creation achieve its objectives.
James Balaba, the supplier from Blessed Tree Planters and Agro distributors from Iganga agreed to the terms and conditions set by the district and OWC officials.
In June last year, Gulu district received over 800 bags of cassava cuttings to be distributed to the farmers but due to late delivery, 300 bags got rotten after farmers refused to get them because theplanting season had already passed.
6 Comments
157,000,000ugx? How many tractors can you buy with this money? And since the season for planting has already gone for this year, why can’t the money be converted into buying tractors for the farmers. Instead of supplying farmers with expensive, late seedlings which are bound to die and can take years for one to start benefiting from. People in the northern Uganda need quick food and cash crops production not some GM seedlings which within few years will be extinct leaving some people with deformities and cancer. Come on district officials you must get your priorities right and straight. Buy tractors and let’s have Acholi communal farms in Amuru under lawirwodi of Acholi wek ki nen gin ma Madhvani moro iye wange. Bene kapuru tyang ci tyang, ci Madhvani dong willo a willa ki but Acholi community. Loyo citrus ma market ne maber bene pud peke ni.
Lawii Rwodi(Our Paramount Chief) David Acana II,The Acholi indegenous are now ready to rally behind your Projects.The Acholi Communal Farms in Amuru and Awich Football Clubs etc………
You came recently in the UK for the 6thUganda Convention,When are you launching the Focus Objective of Acholi Sub Region for 30 years from Now?
The Operation Wealth Creation(OWC) Coordinators are all UPDF Army Officers.I think we cannot achieve any long term development strategy for Acholi Vulnerable Women,Youth and the Primary School Children,the abject poverty is still biting the indegenous.
The Supplier from Iganga (Blessed Trees planters and agro distributors) must be stopped,We have Gulu University Foculty of Agriculture in Acholi Sub Region.Why cant the Goverment give the contract to the Students? Gulu CAO, think twice before you accept any supplier our Graduates must practice what they have qualified for as their work Skills.
Ento wun wucato wan woko do. Pingo wucoyo Acoli ni Acholi? Pol nying jami wa yo ducu kitye ka cakko i leb pa lurok calo leb wa pe pire tek. Lutino kigoyogi i gang kwan ni pingo guloko leb Acoli? Kare oromo myero wayilo lebwa ki tekwarowa malo.
You guys are you trying to sell us out too? Why spell Acoli as Acholi? Almost all the roads and projects are named i leb pa lurok? TV programs nyuto tim caro pa lurok atyer bot lutinowa?
Guest, we are discussing and trying to give some proposals for our people back home, and your most important contribution at this moment is Acholi, Acoli, Acooli, spellings are you not on crack? Please stay off that alcohol and concentrate on the topics before bursting in with a primary level argument. Now about your topic, spellings of Acholi, what is wrong with it, it’s been accepted in dictionary as Acholi, Acoli, Acooli and you can use any and will be recognised internationally what is your problem? If you are to correct wordings and spellings in Luo now, you will never managed. Even English dictionary is adding new words in their vocabulary. Acoli words are not even enough for its vocabularies for example. Can you read this perfect sentences; opok opoko apoka opok me apoka bot lopok pok. Apoka ma opok opoko, bot lopok, opoko labongo apoka poka. then translate in English. I know you are complaining about letter H , by the way Acholi is a Luo , lwo spelling. Some of our luo speakers have h in their spelling so if anything h and f should be added in our dictionary and it will not change Acholiness in us. Like “APWOYO kilel” the hare and APWOYO matek ” as a gratitude one should have been AFOYO for distinguishing the two.
“Acoli words are not even enough for its vocabularies for example…”
Oh I see where you are coming from… Cac i kom lebwa ki Wic me nganga. If you think we have not got enough vocabularies then you are almost saying we cannot speak out loud enough in our own tongues. You can debate but restore our dignity along your conversations; it is part of reparation.
If you think that an atye ki cac I kom leb wa pi waco ni katwere omyero ki med letters mogo mapeke I leb wa wek poko kin words mogo obed yot kit ma an amiyo lapore ni, ci dong in itye kayenyo gin mukene dok bene cwinyi col. What do you mean by “Oh I see where you are coming from”? “You’re almost saying we cannot speak out loud enough in our own tongues ” really? Why are you trying to put words in my mouth? ” wic me nganga?” Angango ngoni? Although I live away from home, I regard myself as the proudest Acholi kin in Europe. That’s why I’m always interested in what is happening back home, and also investing in Acholiland rather than in other people’s districts. By the way I was replying someone who instead of discussing problems facing farmers in Gulu, he came out pointing finger on people who are writing advice and comment on wealth creation for youths in Gulu saying that they are selling Acholi by writing “Acholi instead Acoli spelling”. Really it wasn’t the right time for his outburst. Maybe I should have replied him in leb Acholi keken for that I was expose to langwidi ci dong nyuka dong oton icip. Cac ki nganga is not in me but if you want to open a can of worms, ci abimini leb Luo ma okwok calo deg del. PEACE ¥