NELSON K
Rubabo County Member of Parliament-elect Mathias Rwabugumi has donated Robusta coffee seedlings to farmers in a bid to boost the incomes of low-income peasants in the area.
A team on Tuesday distributed the seedlings to residents of Buyanja Town Council and Buyanja Sub-county at Buyanja T/C headquarters. Each village across Rubabo County is set to benefit, with ten families per village receiving the coffee seedlings free of charge.
One of the beneficiaries, Tumukwasibwe Medius, a resident of Katojo Cell, together with Owen Bakutana from Nyarura Cell in Rwakirungura, expressed gratitude and joy after receiving the seedlings.
They appreciated MP-elect Mathias Rwabugumi for supporting their income in a sustainable way and pledged to prioritise agriculture for improved household earnings. The two said they dream of shifting from subsistence to more commercial farming.
“Although we face many challenges like bad weather, we have motivated ourselves to grow coffee, which performs very well in Rukungiri District, especially the Robusta variety,” they said.
Leading the distribution team, Brian Tumukunde, a mobiliser and messenger for the Rubabo MP-elect, clarified that the campaign is not based on politics or religion. He noted that coordinators who mobilised during the NRM elections helped in selecting the ten beneficiary families from each cell without favouritism.
Having already distributed seedlings in Nyarushanje Sub-county and Buyanja, Tumukunde assured residents of the remaining sub-counties of Nyakishenyi and Kebisoni, as well as other families yet to receive, to stay alert as they will also benefit from the programme.
Rukungiri District Production Officer, Mr Pius Kwesiga Oneck, who participated in the distribution, urged farmers to take full responsibility for their coffee seedlings by providing all necessary care and resources to ensure high productivity.
He called on farmers to remain vigilant and prioritise proper garden management so they can transition successfully to commercial farming.
While appreciating Hon. Mathias Rwabugumi for the initiative, Mr Kwesiga urged other leaders to emulate the gesture by supporting their constituents through practical agricultural interventions to improve household incomes.
