The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Dokolo District, Babra Akech, has urged two farmers’ groups in Dokolo South Constituency to use their newly acquired walking tractors responsibly and strictly for their intended purpose of boosting agricultural production and improving household livelihoods.
Akech made the remarks as the Note En Teko Women’s Group in Okwongodul Sub-county and the Adeknino Young Farmers’ Group Association in Adeknino Sub-county received hand-held walking tractors secured through the lobbying efforts of Dokolo South Member of Parliament, Hon. Vincent Opito, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).
The RDC acknowledged the challenges affecting the implementation of some government programmes but pledged to monitor the utilisation of the tractors to ensure they benefit the intended beneficiaries.
She emphasised that the government’s objective was to transform people’s livelihoods and help communities rise out of poverty, urging the beneficiary groups to take full advantage of the opportunity to improve their economic well-being.
Akech cautioned the groups against allowing individuals to monopolise the equipment or claim personal ownership, stressing that the tractors were intended to serve as shared resources for the collective benefit of all group members.
Dokolo South MP Vincent Opito, who serves on Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Climate Change, said he had lobbied MAAIF for agricultural equipment to support farmers in his constituency.
Opito explained that he submitted a list of 10 farmers’ groups, including his own Yele Ikom Can Farmer Association (YECAFA), for consideration. However, the Ministry selected one youth group and one women’s group to benefit from the equipment in the current phase.
He urged the beneficiaries to make the tractors accessible to other farmers at reasonable hiring rates, warning against charging excessive fees that could discourage local farmers from using the equipment.
Adeknino Sub-county LCIII Chairperson Michael Oleli applauded Opito for lobbying for the tractors, noting that agriculture remains a major driver of the country’s economic development.
He urged the beneficiary groups to put the equipment to optimal use to increase agricultural production and improve the welfare of their members.
Similarly, Julius Peter Odur, LCIII Chairperson of Okwongodul Sub-county and Lango Sub-region LCIII Chairpersons’ Mouthpiece, thanked Opito for the initiative, noting that it targeted farmers, who constitute a significant proportion of the population.
Polly Ogili Jimmy, Chairperson of the Note En Teko Women’s Group in Okwongodul Sub-county, expressed gratitude to Opito for lobbying the government to provide the group with a walking tractor.
She said the equipment would improve the group’s farming activities, adding that members would convene a meeting to establish guidelines governing its management and utilisation to ensure that all members benefit.
Meanwhile, Okullo Franchise, Chairperson of the Adeknino Young Farmers’ Group Association in Adeknino Sub-county, said the tractor would significantly improve agricultural production, particularly by easing ploughing and land preparation.
He noted that access to the equipment would reduce the difficulties farmers face in preparing their gardens, improve productivity and contribute to the fight against household poverty.
The distribution of the walking tractors is expected to strengthen agricultural activities in the two sub-counties by improving access to farm equipment and enabling the beneficiary groups to support other farmers in their communities.