Kabale District Local Government has handed over beekeeping equipment worth Shs28.9 million to 17 youths under the Bufuka Youths Beekeeping Group in Kyanamira Sub-county to boost honey production and improve household incomes.
The equipment was provided under the Uganda Climate Smart Agriculture Transformation Project (UCSATP), a government initiative aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, strengthening resilience to climate change and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
The handover ceremony was held at Amasiko Primary School in Kyanamira Sub-county.
The Chairperson of Bufuka Youths Beekeeping Group, Alphonse Twinamasiko, said the 17 members had received various equipment to improve their beekeeping activities and the quality of honey produced.
The items include 170 Kenya Top Bar (KTB) beehives, 17 protective overalls with attached veils, 17 pairs of bee gloves, 17 pairs of gumboots, 17 bee brushes, 85 airtight buckets, 34 sieves, 17 hive tools, 17 bee smokers and 17 hive knives.
Twinamasiko said the group contributed Shs6.36 million, representing 20 per cent of the project cost, while the government provided Shs22.54 million, equivalent to 80 per cent, in accordance with the project’s co-funding guidelines.
Each member contributed Shs374,400 towards the group’s share of the project cost.
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The Senior Entomology Officer at Kabale District, Honest Tumuheirwe, urged the beneficiaries to put the equipment to proper use to increase honey production and improve its quality.
She cautioned the youths against negligence, citing reports of beehives being stolen by unknown people in some areas, and urged them to ensure the equipment was properly secured.
Tumuheirwe also warned the beneficiaries against selling the donated inputs, saying the district would conduct individual monitoring visits to their homes to assess how the equipment was being utilised and evaluate the progress of the project.
She encouraged the youths to expand their enterprises by acquiring additional beehives rather than relying solely on the equipment provided by the government.
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The UCSATP Project Focal Person, who is also the Kabale District Senior Fisheries Officer, Jennifer Twebaze, said the project has a dedicated funding component for youth groups to enable young people to engage in productive agricultural enterprises.
She said the project targets 45 beekeeping groups, adding that the support extended to Bufuka Youths Beekeeping Group was part of efforts to increase youth participation in agriculture.
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Twebaze further urged the beneficiaries to embrace proper record-keeping to help them assess the impact of the project on their enterprises.
She said keeping records would enable members to compare their production levels and earnings before receiving government support with their performance after acquiring the equipment.
She emphasised that the project’s main objective is to increase agricultural production while promoting climate-smart farming practices that can sustain farmers’ livelihoods.
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