Government has been urged by Members of Parliament to enhance electricity access in rural areas nationwide in order to promote value addition within the agriculture sector.
This call was made during a discussion on the progress of the Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP) and interventions regarding food and animal feed security in the country as presented by the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
The ACDP project was designed to increase the productivity and marketable output of selected agricultural commodities in 12 specific agricultural clusters covering 57 districts.
On Wednesday, 07 August 2024, the House approved both reports during a session presided over by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
Hon. George Bhoka (NRM, Obongi County) emphasized the importance of extending electricity to rural communities as production, processing, and value addition activities are being decentralized to the parish level.
He highlighted the significance of the rural electrification program to support these initiatives and stressed the need for proper management to avoid hindrances in the value addition process.
Hon. Flavia Nabagabe, the District Woman Representative for Kassanda, raised concerns about the lack of transformers in the district to power food processing machines provided under the ACDP.
Hon. Julius Tusiime (Indep., Rwampara East County) observed that while 179 factories were established in his district under the project, only 86 had access to electricity for production purposes.
The report presented by the committee chairperson, Hon. Linda Auma, also highlighted challenges related to the transportation of agricultural products due to the poor condition of road chokes.
Various MPs echoed the need for better infrastructure, financial accountability in project implementation, and increased support for extension workers at the district level to ensure the success of agricultural development initiatives.
Ultimately, the Parliament adopted a motion for a forensic audit of the ACDP to be conducted by the Auditor General and presented to Parliament for review.
The ACDP, a six-year project by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, was funded by a US$150 million loan from the World Bank through the International Development Assistance.
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