The Minister for Disaster Preparedness Hillary Onek has said that over 3.5m Ugandans in Teso sub-region, Karamoja, Acholi sub-region and the cattle corridor have been greatly affected by the recent prolonged drought and lack food.
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Speaking while receiving food donation from Mehta Group worth sh55m last week on Friday, Onek said that the government needs sh15b to address this issue to ensure that these people are not stressed by lack of food.
“The drought was stern and many families now do not have food completely in those areas because their crops could not grow and as a government we want to empower the population to stop relying on rainfall for agriculture due to climate change,” Onek explained.
Mehta donated 20 tonnes of maize flour and 10 tonnes of beans which the minister said that they will go a long in ensuring that government efforts to cater for the affected people is achieved.
“Giving does not necessarily mean that you a lot but it only mean that you care and it is priceless so this donation is very important because many families will benefit from it,” the Minister asserted.
He appealed to other companies to assist the government in ensuring that the affected people are helped especially in times of great need.
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The recent drought has seen food prices increase but the recent rainfall has boosted many farmers in the country and the government has appealed to farmers to grow quick maturing crops to tackle hunger in country.
Mehta’s Regional Manager S.C Sharma explained that he learnt of the food stress in various communities in Uganda through the press and the reason why he wanted to contribute.
