Over 19 farmers in Gulu district today received fingerlings (young fish) under Operation Wealth Creation.
Operation wealth creation is a government program which replaced National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) after the president said it [Naads] had failed to meet its objectives.
The Gulu district fisheries officer Oyet Geoffrey Jomo who is overseeing the distribution said Gulu has received 37,000 fingerlings to be given out to fish farmers.
Among the 19 farmers who received the fingerlings was Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate, near Lacor hospital in Gulu town.
”We are empowering households to improve nutrition in terms of high quality protein as well as farmers benefiting after selling the fish to boast their economic needs as one way of wealth creation,” said Colonel Francis Acoka Ongom, the regional coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation.
Operation Wealth Creation is being implemented by the UPDF with expert assistance from technocrats at the district and sub county level.
Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate received 32,000 fingerlings. Col Acoka said the Sisters had been given the fish because they are located near institutions where they can easily sell their fish when they mature. Acoke named the institutions as Lacor hospital and Sacred Heart School.
The operation wealth creation coordinator for the Acholi sub region said beneficiary farmers to benefit from the fingerlings are identified by the fisheries office at the district level.
Some of the fingerlings brought for distribution were however dead.
Okuwa John Bosco from Aqua Farm Kampala, the distributor of the fingerlings said they are working towards improving packaging to minimise death of the young fish.
