Archive for category: Apple Growers in Uganda

Despite the high demand for sludge manure by vegetable farmers in Gulu, the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) has said it cannot start selling the organic manure until it’s tested for heavy metals that could be harmful to humans.

Dr. Silver Mugisha, the Managing Director National Water and Sewerage who visited the sludge manure producing site located in Cubu village, Pece-Laroo division in Gulu city last week made the pronouncement after site officials informed him that the laboratories in the region currently do not have the capacity to test for heavy metals.

Kennedy Geria, the Senior Project Engineer at National Water and Sewerage Corporation said that there has been huge demand for the manure especially from vegetable farmers.

“Now that many people are going into commercial farming and subsistence farming, many will demand for this manure because it is organic, unlike the synthetic ones sold in shops,” he said.

He said that in Kampala and Arua where sludge manure plants exist, the demand has been overwhelming especially from the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), and from individual farmers.

“Apart from private farmers, our potential market in Gulu is Gulu University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Gulu City Authority,” Geria said.

However, Geria said customers will have to wait before they can access the manure because NWSC’s lab in Gulu does not have the capacity to test for heavy metals like copper, cadmium, lead and zinc which could have adverse effects on humans.

Geria says these heavy metals are common in industrialized cities with leather and textile industries, although he believes that the danger is relatively low in Gulu since the level of industrialization is still low

The sludge manure plant is part of the first phase of a Shs 82 billion project to upgrade water and sanitation funded by the World Bank and German Development bank (KFW).

Geria said that the sludge manure plant has a capacity to produce 3 cubic meters of sludge manure daily.

Sludge manure, which is made out of the faecal matter drained from private toilets and sewer systems, is used for growing vegetables and for other agricultural uses like balancing soil acidity.

However, if not handled well, the manure may contain heavy metals like mercury and phosphate which can cause harm like lung damage, memory problems and high blood pressure among others.

Reuben Kafero who grows vegetables like sukuma wiki, cucumbers, chilli peppers, and pumpkins said the sludge manure will improve soils on his already exhausted land.

“I will start buying sludge manure once it’s on the market because sludge manure has no effects on the soil since it decomposes,” he said.

Sandra Apio, another vegetable farmer who mainly grows tomatoes and cabbages asked NWSC to speed up the process of testing the sludge manure for heavy metals so that it can be accessible to farmers.

According to Geria, the manure will be ready in December. NWSC sells a 50kg bag of manure at Shs 5,000.

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The National Drug Authority has shut down a total of 80 veterinary drug shops and agro-chemical shops in South Western Uganda for failure to comply with standards.

The drug shops were closed during a 15-day spot-supervision exercise conducted by the Authority to ensure that dealers in veterinary drugs comply with the stipulated standards.

According to Kenneth Kiiza, NDA’s Regional Manager for Mbarara area which comprises south Western Uganda, the closed drug shops are from the areas of Mbarara, Lyantonde, Ntungamo, Kazo, Kitagwenda among others.

Speaking to the media last Friday at the NDA offices, Kiiza revealed that the authority had inspected over 326 outlets in the area and found out that 80 of them were not compliant with NDA’s standards for veterinary drug shops.

He added that a total of 50 boxes of drugs were impounded during the operation.

“This exercise was aimed at improving the supply and delivery of veterinary drugs in South Western region,” he said.

Dr. Andrew Akashaba, the Mbarara District Veterinary Officer said that private veterinarians have been tasked to register with the district for easy monitoring and quality assurance.

Johnson Turyagumanawe, a veterinary drugs dealer in Mbarara central market welcomed the move and proposed that it should be made regular in order to get rid of quacks who take advantage of laxity by the NDA to defraud unsuspecting members of the public.

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Wawoto Kacel Cooperative Society in Gulu City is helping hundreds of vulnerable women who lack access to land to regain their dignity through arts and crafts.

The beneficiaries, who include former abductees of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), women living with HIV/AIDS, people with disabilities (PWDs), orphans and single mothers are usually referred to the cooperative by Comboni Samaritan, a faith-based charitable organization in Gulu that helped form and register the cooperative.

Wawoto Kacel means “let us move together”.

The cooperative was started in 1997 by a group of women with the aim of supporting people living with HIV, disabilities, orphans, formerly abducted and single mothers.

According to Immaculate Adong, the Manager Wawoto Kacel Cooperative, most of these women are unable to engage in agriculture because they have no access to land.

In a bid to find an alternative income source, the women took to making arts and crafts for sale. Today, they mostly weave, and make tie and dye pieces such as clothing, in addition to making greeting cards, beads, knitting and embroidery.

“I am happy that the women are now able to sustain themselves through working and build back their self-esteem,” Adong said.

At the beginning, the women started by making items which they would sell to staff of Comboni Samaritan. As the business grew, they decided to register as a cooperative in order organise better and target a wider market in Italy.

In fact, a significant portion of the coop’s sales are outside the country since, members say, their products which include kitchen linen like aprons, mittens, and table runners and stylish accessories like ear rings, necklaces and shawls among others are not well appreciated by locals.

“Our people don’t value our products; that is why the greater percentage of our products are sold in foreign markets. Good Samaritans of Italy has always helped us to find market for our products,” Adong said.

Adong said the women are paid starting from Shs 100,000 up, depending on the amount of work done. Many also engage in other money making activities like petty trade to supplement their income from the arts and crafts business.

Aciro Christine, a 38-year old mother of five who was abducted at 13 years of age, says Wawoto Kacel Cooperative has enabled her to cater for her children.

“I returned from captivity in 2008 and found both my parents had died. I was forced to come to Gulu city to fend for my children because my uncles did not welcome me back,” she narrates.

Through Comboni Samaritans, Aciro said she was connected to Wawoto Kacel Cooperative Society where she was taught how to weave.

“Three of my children were born in captivity and therefore rely on me to provide for them. My dream is to one day own land where I can build a home for my children,” she said.

Kevin Lamwaka, a 27-year old mother of two who is also the cooperative’s Weaving Section leader, said that being part of the cooperative since 2016 has enabled her supplement her husband’s income.

“I am now financially independent. I don’t ask my husband for everything because I also work,” she said, adding that customers love their products like shawls and bed sheets because they are handmade.

The organization currently employs 50 women but has benefitted over 1,000 since its inception.

Wawoto Kacel provides members and their children with free health care services, and they also benefit from micro credit at 5% interest rate.

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