Farmers in the Greater Gulu are to benefit from an agricultural investment hub worth 493 million shillings constructed under the Development Initiative for Northern Uganda (DINU).
The facility, located in Pece-Laroo division, Gulu City was constructed with funding from the European Union under the supervision of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) through the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO).
The facility is meant to promote good agricultural practices for improved productivity through fighting fake agro-inputs, bulking inputs, farmer training, technology demonstration, storage, credit support, market linkages, and the provision of quality agro-inputs.
The construction works commenced in 2021 and it was officially handed over to the farmers on Tuesday by officials from NARO.
The facility has a modern storage facility for farmers from the greater Gulu area to collectively market their produce, aflatoxin testing kits, weighing machines, 100 pallets, sampling metallic spheres, trolley, grain blower, maize handheld fellers, moisture tester, tarpaulins, storage bags, motorized sprayer among others.
Speaking during the handover of the facility to farmers on Tuesday, Dr. Frank Laban Turyagenda, the Director of research from Ngetta ZARDI says this is part of the four facilities in Acholi and Lango sub-regions.
He explained that the main functions of the facility include demonstration technology in practices and crop varieties, bulking and quality control, and getting marketable volume.
Samuel Arop, the Chairperson of Pur Ber Farmers Group said that the facility currently has four farmer cooperatives and 41 groups from the Gulu area, adding that at least 237 metric tons of grains have already been stored at the facility.
Arop pledged that the facility will be used for its intended reasons to promote the quality of agricultural outputs and marketing.
Peter Banya, the Deputy Resident City Commissioner for Pece-Laroo who officiated over the handover exercise urged farmers to use the facility to eradicate poverty through the good practices they will learn.
Christine Auma, a farmer from Lute Agro-Vet Cooperative is happy that their worries of poor post-harvest management will now come to an end.
Another farmer says that the facility will help them to sell their products as a group and avoid the monopoly by middlemen.
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