Kazo District has received 900 bags of fertiliser from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) under a presidential initiative aimed at boosting coffee production through subsidised farm inputs.
The fertiliser was delivered to the district headquarters on Thursday and received by district leaders led by LC5 chairman Rev. Samuel Mugisha Katugunda. Also present were Assistant Principal Secretary Divine Kyogabirwe, representing the Chief Administrative Officer, Assistant Resident District Commissioner Abel Kyambondo, and District Internal Security Officer representative Joseph Mugume.
Speaking during the handover, Kyogabirwe applauded the government for supporting coffee farmers, saying the fertiliser would improve yields, especially during the current rainy season.
“This fertiliser is targeting coffee farmers and will greatly help our farmers in Kazo District, especially during this rainy season. As the office of the CAO, we shall ensure that the responsible technical officers distribute it to the rightful beneficiaries,” she said.
Rev. Katugunda said the programme would strengthen coffee production and increase incomes for farmers in the district.
He commended President Museveni for fulfilling his pledge to support coffee growers, noting that more farmers in Kazo have embraced coffee cultivation in recent years.
“We shall ensure the fertiliser is properly distributed so that it reaches the intended beneficiaries,” he said.
The principal consultant and supplier, Moses Kalembe, said the fertiliser is being supplied under a government co-funding arrangement introduced following a presidential directive.
Under the programme, government will meet 70 per cent of the fertiliser cost, while farmers will contribute the remaining 30 per cent. Each 50-kilogramme bag will cost farmers Shs54,000.
Assistant RDC Abel Kyambondo said his office would monitor the distribution process to ensure transparency and prevent diversion of the subsidised inputs.
He said the intervention was in response to concerns raised by coffee farmers over declining soil fertility and the high cost of fertilisers.
Kazo is among the districts benefiting from the nationwide subsidised fertiliser programme launched after farmers appealed to President Museveni during his countrywide tours to make farm inputs more affordable.
District officials said details on the payment process for the farmers’ 30 per cent contribution would be communicated before distribution begins.
They emphasised that the fertiliser is strictly reserved for registered coffee farmers and urged beneficiaries to follow the official distribution procedures.
