President Yoweri Museveni has directed the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC), the business arm of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), to provide affordable animal feeds for beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM).
This directive comes after the President discovered many beneficiaries struggled to maintain proper feeds for their livestock, which includes fish, chickens, pigs, cows, and goats.
“I have directed NEC to study how they can supply affordable animal feed in specific areas,” the President stated. “These army companies are not focused on making huge profits; they aim for cost recovery and modest profits,”he said.
President Museveni made these remarks on December 17, 2024, addressing leaders in Bududa District and visiting a beneficiary’s farm in Shamemba village during his assessment tours of the PDM in the Karamoja, Sebei, and Bugisu regions.
He proposed establishing zonal centers to make affordable animal feeds easily accessible.
“For instance, we could have one center in the Teso region, another in Karamoja, and one more in Bugisu,” he stated.
The President advised the residents of Shamemba to avoid dividing land into small plots and instead consider a “shares” method for distributing property among family members. He emphasized that land fragmentation contributes to poverty and hinders estate development.
“The Europeans discovered the concept of shares many years ago—not by physically dividing property, such as splitting a 1-acre plot among five children, but by creating shares to represent ownership. This is the approach I have adopted with my own property,” said President Museveni.
The Bugisu farmers expressed interest in an educational tour to the President’s model farm in Kisozi. The President agreed to organize this visit soon, allowing the farmers to learn about modern agricultural technologies and gain insights into the agricultural sector in Uganda.
President Museveni is currently visiting the Bugisu sub-region on a PDM assessment tour, having already visited farmers in Bududa, Manafwa, and Sironko districts. He is also scheduled to visit the Bugisu Industrial Hub and hold a leaders’ meeting in Bulambuli District.
