President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has visited two model farmers in Kalangala district and advised Ugandans to emulate them to fight poverty.
The President was in Kalangala district for his Investment and Wealth Creation tour running under the theme: “Securing your future through wealth creation and shared prosperity”.
He said the model farmers are living examples of success who need to be emulated. He revealed that Ms. Thabisa Akirapa and Mr. Ssesanga Deogratious began small and now they are among the rich people in the district.
“Ms Thabisa was living in a grass-thatched house but now she is living in a nice glass house. She is taking good care of herself; she has four acres of oil palm trees and earns Shs.7m from each acre in one year making it Shs.28m from the four acres in one year. Another model farmer is Mr Ssesanga Deogratious with 12 acres of oil palm tree garden and a dairy farm. Ssesanga earns between Shs6-7m from each acre of oil palm tree garden in one year making it Shs.84m from 12 acres in one year,” the President explained.
President Museveni thanked the model farmers for listening to his advice and embracing the government development programmes.
He gave Ms Akirapa an Elf motor vehicle to help her in transporting fertilizers to her oil palm tree garden and transporting her out-put (yields) to the market.
He went ahead and promised to give out motor vehicles to other farmers at the parish level to ease transportation of their fertilizers and out-puts (yields) to the marketplace for sale.
The President first visited Ms Akirapa, a resident of Busanga village, Mugoye sub-county in Kalangala district.
The model farmer took the President on a tour of her oil palm plantation while narrating to him the genesis of her miraculous garden.
Ms Akirapa said she started with half an acre of oil palm trees, and she has since upgraded to four acres of land.
According to Mr Balironda David Mukasa, the General Manager of Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Trust, initially, Ms Akirapa was growing passion fruits, but they trained her to grow oil palm trees which have made her one of the wealthy women in Kalangala district.
Ms Akirapa said the government gave her seedlings and fertilizers. She stated that in one year she earns Shs.28m in the four acres of oil palm trees.
She added that she is a widow who was staying in a grass-thatched house but built herself a good house. She has been able to raise her children, feed, dress, and educate them.
She has also looked after her grandchildren. Ms Akirapa not only grows oil palm trees but also has her garden which feeds her family.
Ms Akirapa informed the President that she needed a vehicle to help her transport her fertilizers and out-puts to the marketplace, which the latter responded to in the affirmative.
President Museveni also visited Mr Ssesanga, a resident of Kizira village, Mugoye sub-county in Kalangala district.
On arrival, he was warmly welcomed by the model farmer who also took him on a tour of his plantation.
During the tour, Mr Ssesanga informed the President that he began with four acres of oil palm trees in the year 2012. He said now he has 12 acres of oil palm trees.
The model farmer further informed H.E Museveni that he earns Shs.84m in one year from the 12 acres of oil palm trees.
He added that he also has a dairy farm where he receives 25 litres of milk every day and that he uses the cow dung as a fertiliser in his oil palm plantation.
As a sign of appreciation for the assistance from the President and the government of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Mr Ssesanga rewarded Gen. Museveni with a cow.
The President showed gratitude and promised to put the cow in the government farm and later on, give it to the people coming from a humble background (poor).