Otuke RDC roots for Upland rice cultivation to save wetlands

8 February 2023, 8:06 pm

By Denis Okello(denis.okello@vol.co.ug)

Otuke Resident district commissioner Gillian Akullo has warned to take serious action against people who will be found cultivating wetlands in the district.

Akullo while addressing locals of Otuke town council said they will launch operations to arrest whoever will be found cultivating wetlands, in violation of the presidential directive banning the same.

She asked people who are interested in cultivating rice to request for upland rice seeds from government which they can grow instead of the one grown in wetlands.

Akullu said they are currently advocating for distribution of upland rice seeds to farmers by the government to mitigate wetland cultivation as a measure to conserve the environment.

Akullo Gillian further threatened to arrest people who have turned to mango trees for charcoal burning after they were stopped from cutting Shea nut trees.

She said that recently some six people were arrested from Ojwang hill for cutting Shea nut trees for charcoal burning and were produced in court and remanded.

In 2018, government through ministry of Water and Environment suspended any cutting, transportation and sale of shea nut and afzelia africana tree logs and their products. This was after reports of widespread cutting of Shea nut trees and other endangered tree species for charcoal.

In February 2022, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni also ordered a total ban on cultivation of rice in wetlands as part of efforts to conserve them and directed people to shift to alternative sources of income.

However, implementing the ban on both wetland cultivation and cutting Shea nut trees and other endangered tree species is still facing an uphill task as locals continue to flout the ban.