AMOS K
Coffee farmers from Ntungamo District have continued to raise their concern over the ongoing government program of registering coffee farmers countrywide.
Some of these are not only farmers but also local leaders who said that there wasn’t any advertising, sensitization, or even involvement of local leaders by the government.
One of the farmers, who preferred to remain anonymous, said his village mates refused to be involved in the program since they thought the government might be planning to impose taxes on coffee farmers or even take their coffee. He therefore said that this plan is useless to local people, which is why it wasn’t welcomed.
Apollo Rugarukye, the LC1 Chairperson of Kyamuhamya Cell in Nyarwanya Parish, Rubaare Sub-county, said that it would be better for any government plan to be implemented through local leaders to reach the target people with proper sensitization and advertising, which wasn’t done.
According to Rugarukye, this plan wasn’t communicated to farmers, which forced them to think negatively about it.
Francis Bamanyire, the LC3 Chairperson of Bwongyera Sub-county in Kajara Constituency, Ntungamo District, said that though a few accepted to be registered, many were not because they didn’t understand the intention, and it was not explained to them.
When we tried to contact Samuel Muchunguzi, the LC5 Chairperson of Ntungamo District, he said that it is a government program aimed at identifying coffee farmers in the country.
