Political Season Is Over: Hajjat Namyalo Launches Countrywide Seed Drive As Farmers Return to Production

GOMBA — The Office of the National Chairman (ONC) has launched a countrywide seed distribution campaign aimed at supporting farmers as the new planting season gets underway.

The exercise, spearheaded by ONC Manager SPA Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, began in Maddu Town Council, Gomba District, where farmers received maize and bean seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and other agricultural inputs.

The initiative is also intended to encourage communities to return their focus to production and household economic activities following the recently concluded election period.

Addressing farmers and local leaders during a heavy downpour, Hajjat Namyalo said prolonged drought had affected agricultural production and household incomes in many communities.

She said some ONC empowerment activities had been scaled down during the election period but would now resume as attention shifts back to economic production.

“We have finished the election period and now it is time for work,” Namyalo told the gathering, urging farmers to make good use of the rains by returning to their gardens.

She encouraged beneficiaries to use the inputs for their intended purpose and work together to increase agricultural production and improve household incomes.

Namyalo said agriculture remains an important source of livelihood for many households and that timely access to quality inputs can help farmers take advantage of the available planting seasons.

She also called on farmers and local leaders to cooperate in implementing government and other development programmes in their communities.

Leaders call for wider empowerment

Local leaders welcomed the agricultural support but asked the ONC to expand its empowerment programmes to include vocational skills, equipment and other interventions targeting young people and women.

NRM Chairperson for Maddu, Julius Kibirige, thanked Namyalo for extending the support to farmers in the area, noting that Maddu Town Council has 19 villages whose residents require interventions to improve household incomes.

Kibirige said the area had continued to support the NRM and President Yoweri Museveni and appealed for more programmes aimed at skilling residents and strengthening economic activity.

He called for increased access to vocational training and women empowerment initiatives, including equipment such as sewing machines that could help beneficiaries establish small businesses.

Maddu Town Council Mayor Alali Muhiirwa Kabaleega also welcomed the agricultural support and urged greater emphasis on youth empowerment.

He called for support with equipment for small-scale enterprises and vocational activities, including popcorn-making machines, bricklaying equipment, salon equipment and sewing machines.

Kabaleega urged residents to take advantage of the rains and resume productive activities, saying the election period had ended and communities should now focus on work and economic development.

He also appealed for unity among residents regardless of their political differences.

ONC promises broader interventions

Responding to the leaders’ requests, Namyalo said agricultural support would be complemented by other empowerment initiatives targeting vocational and income-generating activities.

She cited support for welding, bricklaying and other practical skills as some of the areas that could be incorporated into the programme.

Namyalo urged local leaders to identify active and committed community members who can effectively utilise the equipment provided.

She said empowerment programmes should focus on beneficiaries who are willing to work and build sustainable livelihoods rather than simply distributing equipment without follow-up mechanisms.

The planned interventions are expected to broaden the ONC’s empowerment activities beyond agricultural inputs to include vocational training and support for small-scale enterprises, particularly for youth and women.

The seed distribution campaign comes as farmers in various parts of Uganda prepare their gardens for the new planting season, when access to quality seeds and other agricultural inputs is critical to boosting production and household incomes.

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