Pallisa (UG) – Seventy rice farmers who followed President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s advice to abandon rice farming in favour of fish farming are now reaping significant financial rewards.
At the launch of the third harvest on Thursday (09/01/2025), Mr Magid Dhikusooka, the Pallisa Resident District Commissioner overseeing the Limoto Wetlands Restoration Project, explained that in May 2024, the Directorate of Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries stocked 27,000 fish fingerlings across eight ponds dug on one acre of land.
Dhikusooka praised President Museveni for highlighting the multiple benefits of shifting from rice farming to fish farming during his address to citizens at the Kamuge Saza Grounds as part of the PDM zonal tour monitoring.
“One acre at its best gives a yield of 5 million in a year, but imagine, in just five months, farmers are harvesting fish weighing between 500 grams to 1.5 kilograms, and they sell each kilogram at shs. 9,000, making a net profit of shs. 90,000,000 in a single harvest. This means they earn shs. 180,000,000 annually from just one acre,” Dhikusooka said.
He recalled how some of the initial project beneficiaries doubted its success but are now benefiting greatly from its yields. “You witnessed how President Museveni called me to explain the progress of this project, which is now the most successful in the country.”
“Therefore, I need you to stay focused and vote for President Museveni in 2026,” Dhikusooka emphasized.
Rashid Gashiodo, the farm manager of the Limoto Tukume Ebitonde Fish Farmers Association, mentioned that the association’s 72 members are requesting more ponds to expand their harvest. He highlighted some challenges in marketing and appealed for the provision of a refrigerated truck to transport fish to distant markets, such as Karamoja.
“Today, if we were to harvest all 27,000 fish, the local market in Pallisa couldn’t consume them, even if we lowered the price to shs. 5,000 per kilogram. Honestly, we need the vehicle,” Gashiodo said.
Mohammed Samuka, the Pallisa District Natural Resources Officer and focal point for the Green Climate Fund project discussed the broader benefits of the Limoto Wetlands Restoration Project.
He explained that beyond the direct financial benefits, the project offers numerous advantages, including restoring natural habitats for aquatic animals, improving water quality by reducing sedimentation, pollution, and nutrient runoff, and contributing to climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration.
“This project is not just an economic success; it has increased fish populations outside the ponds and is providing a sustainable source of income and food for the local community. It has also made Limoto a potential ecotourism hub, creating jobs in the process,” Samuka said.
Charles Otto, the Pallisa District Fisheries Officer, noted that the improvement in net profits from shs. 70 million to 90 million was due to feeding the fish chicken intestines, which are cheaply bought at shs. 500, compared to factory feeds that cost between shs. 2,500 and shs. 4,000.
However, Richard Orwao, the Boliso 1 Sub-county Chairperson, urged the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries to install a fish feed plant in the area.
“Given the success of the Limoto Wetlands Restoration Project, more people are entering the business, but excavating ponds is costly for them,” Orwao explained. “We need permanent excavators here because there is a great need to expand the ponds from 8 to over 50. Other people who are not members of the Limoto Tukume Ebitonde Fish Farmers Association feel left out.”
James Buleke, a renowned footballer who played for Pallisa FC and Mbale Heroes, shared that he abandoned his sport, which was earning him only shs. 150,000 per month, in favor of fish farming. As a member of the Limoto Tukume Ebitonde Fish Farmers Association, Buleke now earns at least one million shillings in dividends per harvest, in addition to income from other enterprises like vegetable farming.
“I haven’t retired from football, but my priority is making money for my family so my children can receive a better education, and we can live happily,” Buleke said.
Some visible benefits of the Limoto Wetlands Restoration Project include increased resilience against drought, enhanced security, improved farmer incomes, the promotion of raw materials for agro-based industries, provision of piped water for livestock and agriculture, reduced dependency on rain-fed agriculture, and the promotion of sustainable resource management.
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