By SAMMY JAKAA
The sale of green maize has been banned in Teso South District to curb shortage of the commodity.
Area DC Dennis Omosa asked chiefs and their assistants to ensure farmers are not harvesting and selling maize to traders within and outside the area.
“We are worried that the region might experience a scarcity because farmers are selling green maize,” said the DC.
Addressing a leaders’ meeting at Amukura trading centre yesterday, the DC said he feared the trend could expose the region to hunger.
Omosa said the Government would ensure middlemen are blocked from exploiting farmers by buying their farm products at very low prices and later selling back to the same farmers at exorbitant prices during the dry season.
Storage
“We have noted with great concern that farmers are not storing their harvest, especially maize. We must put a stop to this trend of disposing the produce and later asking for relief food when the dry spell hits us,” the DC said.
He added that the Government, through local administrators, is sensitising farmers on the need to store food for future consumption.
The administrator noted that food security was not bad despite destruction of crops by heavy floods earlier in the year. He exuded confidence that there would be a bumper harvest this season.
Omosa revealed that the Government would provide maize seeds and fertiliser during the coming short rains to farmers whose crops were destroyed by floods.
He said he would liaise with the agriculture department to address the issue of seed quality after farmers complained that they had purchased fake seeds from unscrupulous dealers.
