[UAH] Agriculture sustains this country so govt must give it more support-ALL OUR MONEY GOES TO STATE HOUSE, DEFENSE AND CLASSIFIED EXPENDITURES!!! WITH GEN:TINYE PRETENDING TO BE ON THE LOOSE ALL THE MONEY SHALL BE DIVERTED!!!

Agriculture sustains this country so govt must give it more support

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By David Mulabi

Posted  Wednesday, May 15  2013 at  01:00

IN SUMMARY

Because the farmer is highly cheated, middlemen are able to thrive. Shopkeepers everywhere report that they make more profit on a sack of food compared to a bag of sugar or a box of soap.

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In her maiden 2011 budget as new Minister of Finance, Ms Maria Kiwanuka, came up with a (rather comical) hand-hoe idea for agriculture modernisation – scrapping import taxes on the hoe. Those with keen interest in the sector were outraged.

Our leaders and technocrats are all too aware about the agriculture sector's importance and potential development ripple effect and never miss an opportunity to remind us. But for many years, they have continued to make paltry allocation to the sector and to haphazardly manage its programmes. Agriculture is in shambles. Government actions smack of neglect while the elite see agriculture as a last resort for career failures.

However, although neglected, farmers manage to produce food for the nation and are unwittingly subsidising the life of others. Because the farmer is cheated on the price of produce, the final consumer is able to get cheap food. The cost of food is critical to low income earners (especially in urban areas) because it constitutes the biggest cost of living. Cheap food means more savings (for other things). Although prices have increased over time, food is still very cheap in Uganda compared to neighbouring countries. Thus, although the country is facing hard times economically, at least people can cheaply get the most important basic necessity – food. Therefore, the farmer is subsidising the cost of living of other Ugandans.

Farmers are also 'donating' jobs to food trade middlemen. This middleman-ship is a whole sector of its own with about four levels: the village middlemen (with bicycles and weighing scales), those who take produce to towns and the wholesalers and retailers in towns. These are actually the fat cats of the agriculture sector. Because the farmer is highly cheated, middlemen are able to thrive. Shopkeepers everywhere report that they make more profit on a sack of food compared to a bag of sugar or a box of soap. Did you also notice that food items like rice are now also hawked on Kampala streets? Well, the hand hoe farmer is providing jobs for many people, a political subsidy on the government's failure to create jobs.

And the bad roads. Because of the high cost of transport, farmers pay highly for this by accepting very low prices from the middleman to cover transport costs. Conversely, they pay highly for other goods, which come into their villages. This is the farmer's subsidy on high transport costs or government's failure to build good roads. There are other similar subsidies paid for by farmers from their meagre earnings, for example on poor health and education services, corruption and bad governance, etc.

We pride ourselves as a modern country – gauging by the iPads, high rise buildings, traffic jam (which supposedly indicates wealth and development, never mind the bad roads) – but relegate the sector that employs most people and feeds the nation to Stone Age.

It is in government's interest to develop agriculture. Given it size, it has a huge potential for expansion of the tax base. If farmers are given meaningful support so that even half of the Ugandans employed in agriculture begin paying tax, there would be no need for groping around for noxious revenue solutions such as the proposed increment on the already-high fuel tax. As the 2013/2014 budget is being finalised, let's remember the sector that sustains the nation. Vision 2040 will remain a mirage if we continue paying lip service to this economic fundamental.

Mr Mulabi is the coordinator, Community Development Programme, Uganda Czech Development Trust. mulavid@gmail.com

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AROMA PATRICK-THE TRUE SON OF UGANDA!!!THIS IS MY COUNTRY!!!THIS IS MY MOTHERLAND-THE PEARL OF AFRICA DOES NOT BELONG TO THE MAFIAS ALONE,I WHO IS WALKING IN THE SHADOWS OF DEATH DAILY  AND LIVING  ON BORROWED TIMES  UNDER GOD'S PROTECTION  SINCE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD,BURIED SIX FEET UNDER-I,THE UNWANTED AND HATED,THE MOST VILIFIED AND SABOTAGED,THE DOWNTRODDEN AND CRIPPLED,THE INNOCENTLY DELIBERATELY TORTURED AND PERSECUTED IS ALSO A SHAREHOLDER AND A STAKEHOLDER WITH FULL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFORMATION IN ALL SECTORS AND SPHERES-NO GOING TO EXILE,NO RETREAT AND NO SURRENDER TO THE MAFIAS!!!THE END MUST SET ALL UGANDANS FREE AND CREATE A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL!!! "THE RIGHT TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND COURTESY,THE RIGHT TO LIVE AND THE RIGHT TO DIGNITY ARE NOT FAVORS TO BE BESTOWED BY ANYBODY:THEY ARE THE BIRTH RIGHT OF EVERY HUMAN BEING"DECLARES PRESIDENT YOWERI MUSEVENI AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS BUSH WAR IN 1981!!!page 182-paragraph two The Minds of Achievers-The Seeds of Greatness by GRACE MUSIIME MUGYENZI

MANAGING DIRECTOR

CAMKWOKI INVESTMENTS LIMITED

Dealers in General Merchandise, Agro Input and Chemicals and Agro- Processing(Value Addition BAKERY)

LIRA BUS PARK  SHOP NO:57/ LABOURLINE TRADING CENTER AND BAL-PE MARKET ON ALEBTONG-BARR ROAD 

P.O Box 268-LIRA,TEL:+256-782-658-458

 A VICTIM OF APARTHEID ETHNICALLY ENTRENCHED GENOCIDAL CUM TERRORIST MAFIA DICTATORSHIP OF MUSEVENI,SUPER -BLOODY MAFIA STRATEGIST AMAMA MBABAZI,THE DEADLY SAM ENGOLA/MUSEVENI LANGO HENCHMAN  AND THEIR MAFIAS OPPOSITION/LANGO MAFIA  NETWORKS PLUS A VICTIM OF NORTHERN UGANDA NRM GRAND HUMAN RESOURCE DESTRUCTION POLICY OF ITS POTENTIALS AND GRAND NRM ECONOMIC SABOTAGE PLANS TO KEEP THE NORTH PERPETUALLY IN POVERTY/TURN US INTO BEGGARS,A NORTHERN UGANDA GENOCIDE SURVIVOR,MY RIGHT LEG BROKEN ON 24/JUNE/2001 IN  FRONT OF SAM ENGOLA LIRA HOTEL IN THE PRESENCE OF PRESIDENTIAL GUARD BRIGADE WHO PROTECTED MUSEVENI IN LIRA WHILE CAMPAIGNING FOR SAM ENGOLA THAT DAY-SURVIVING DEATH MIRACULOUSLY DUE TO GOD'S PROTECTION  AND I ESCAPED SEVERAL MURDER ATTEMPTS ON MY LIFE  RIGHT FROM 2000 TO DATE-POLITICALLY PERSECUTED,ECONOMICALLY SABOTAGED IN BUSINESS AND MY NGO PROJECTS, DENIED ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES IN LIFE/ EDUCATION-EXPELLED FROM MAKERERE UNIVERSITY IN FOURTH YEAR  WHILE PURSUING BACHELOR OF LAWS  AND COMPLETELY FRUSTRATED IN TERMS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT,SOCIALLY DISLOCATED -ISOLATED AND LIVING IN PAINED PHYSICALLY,MENTALLY,EMOTIONALLY WHILE SPIRITUALLY FOUGHT WITH NRM EVIL SPIRITS(MAYEMBES/KIFARO) AND CULTURALLY UPROOTED BECAUSE OF OPPOSING/DISAGREEING WITH MUSEVENI & HIS NRM MAFIA POLITICAL  PARTY,HAILING FROM A WRONG REGION/ TRIBE/CLAN .I PATRICK AROMA TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AFFIRM AND CONFIRM THAT WHAT I HAVE STATED HERE IS THE TRUTH AND THE WHOLE TRUTH NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS BEING DONE TO YOU OR YOUR SON BY YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT??? A MAFIA GOVERNMENT IN MY OWN MOTHERLAND WHO HATES TO SEE MY PROGRESS, PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY -IF THIS IS NOT APARTHEID THEN WHAT IS IT ??? FROM 1999-2004 I WAS ON TEL:NO 0772-621-761 which MTN MADE IT IN ACCESSIBLE/BLOCKED AND LATER SOLD TO ANOTHER PERSON BEFORE TAKING ON 0782-658-458.ALL MY COMMUNICATIONS AT THAT MATERIAL TIME CAN BE ACCESSED ON 0772-621-761. 

MY FIFTY YEARS DEADLY JOURNEY TO THE GOLDEN TRAGEDIES OF OUR MOTHERLAND-WHY I NEVER CELEBRATED THE  JUBILEE AND HAS NEVER LIVED MY LIFE!!!

1962-1975-1 was not yet born

1976-1979-IDI AMIN MURDERED MY UNCLES THE LATE HON: AROMA MARTIN,EMOR BEN AND MY FATHER THE LATE PETER OGWAL 

1980-1986

WE SURVIVED ON RELIEF FOOD (YELLO POSHO +BEANS) under very difficult conditions as orphans though we had plenty of cattle that was eventually stolen by NRM/UPDF

1986-2000 My Childhood Destruction

NRA/UPDF STOLE ALL OUR CATTLE WHEN I WAS LOOKING AFTER THEM AND RAPED MY COUSIN SISTER IN MY PRESENCE

Museveni SURAMBAYA FIGHTER JETS BOMBS OUR HOME VILLAGE-FIVE KILOMETERS FROM LIRA TOWN AND I SURVIVED AS MANY INNOCENT CIVILIANS WERE KILLED PLUS LIVE STOCKS ON OUR VILLAGE COMPOUNDS BY BOMBS AS WE SCAMPER FOR SAFETY

Alice Lakwena War BEGAN that really exposed us to a lot of dead bodies bombed,shot and cut with matchetes LYING LIFELESS FROM OUR VILLAGE TO LIRA TOWN

Gen: David Tinyefuza OPERATIONS NORTH where even Children were not spared KIBOKO-we were thoroughly caned by UPDF as they arrested the 18 famous Northern Uganda Politicians at that material time

2000-2012

NRA Mafias start my PERSECUTION at Makerere University

Breaking of my leg

Expulsion from Makerere

Museveni STATE HOUSE PLUS THEIR MAFIA NETWORKS ON MY HOT PURSUIT DEVISING ALL STRATEGIES TO MURDER ME

 2012 ON WARDS

• STILL SURVIVING THE MAFIAS,LIVING IN FEAR AND PAIN,BEING HUNTED LEFT,RIGHT AND CENTER BY MAFIAS PLUS THEIR NETWORKS.
• ON 29/JANUARY/2004 DURING RADIO ONE EKIMEEZA TALKSHOW AT CLUB OBBLIGATTO I REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF MUSEVENI CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION BOUGHT FROM NORTH KOREA AND IRAN-THAT WAS HIDDEN UNDER GULU AIRPORT HUNKER AND THE UNITED NATIONS GRABBED,DESTROYED AND TOOK AWAY THE REMAINING ONES TO UNKNOWN DESTINATION-THIS IS ONE REASON WHY PRESIDENT MUSEVENI AND HIS MAFIAS CAN NEVER-NEVER-I SAY NEVER FORGIVE ME SINCE I EXPOSED AND SPOILED THEIR DEADLY DESTRUCTIVE AGENDA FOR NORTHERN UGANDA!!!

ON-TOP OF THE ABOVE,NO TERM LIMITS PROMOTING LIFE PRESIDENCY, CREATING HOPELESSNESS, UNCERTAINTY & CONSOLIDATING APARTHIED PLUS TRIBALISM, THERE IS MASSIVE POVERTY,UNEMPLOYMENT,HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES,IMPUNITY,MURDERS,INEQUALITY,GENOCIDE,DISUNITY IN THE COUNTRY,ETC

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