The implementation of the government’s signature ‘Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ)’ programme has led to a substantial increase in the production levels of cereal grains and legumes in the Bongo District.

Under the programme, farmers are supplied with subsidized fertilizer and improved seeds.

Rice production in the area, which before its’ implementation, stood at 4,821 metric tonnes, shot up to 12,390 metric tonnes, in 2018.

That of millet, rose from 3,612 metric tonnes to 4,358.91 metric tonnes, during the period.

At the same time, maize production hit 8,410 metric tonnes, from 1,094 metric tonnes.

Things are not any different for sorghum, cowpea, groundnuts and soya beans. For sorghum, the production level climbed from 3,675 metric tonnes to 6,778.80 metric tonnes, cowpea, grew to 1,687 metric tonnes, from 987 metric tonnes, with soya bean, increasing from 135 metric tonnes, to 172.70 metric tonnes.

Groundnut production rose to 8,245 metric tonnes from 2,802 metric tonnes. Mr Peter Ayimbisa Ayamga, the District Chief Executive (DCE), provided the statistics at a media briefing held in Bongo to tell the story about how government’s policies and programmes were helping to make things better for the people in the area.

He told the journalists that a total of 4,532 farmers, made up of 3,638 male farmers and 894 females, in the district, benefitted from improved planting materials and subsidized fertilizer supply in year 2017.

In 2018, the number of beneficiary farmers stood at 4,187-3,164 of them, males and 1,023, females.

For this year, there are 3,275 male and 1,561 female farmer-beneficiaries, making it a total of 4,836.