Dozens of Ugandan farmers can’t afford shs15m for irrigation equipment, says MP Dr. Opio Acuti

Kole North Member of Parliament, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Science, Technology, and Innovation, has stated that the majority of Ugandan farmers cannot afford the approximately shs15 million required to access irrigation equipment.

He noted that the high cost of such equipment has left many farmers vulnerable to unreliable rainfall patterns, a situation particularly concerning given that most Ugandans are smallholder farmers who depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture.

Dr. Acuti raised this concern on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, on the floor of Parliament while making a point of national importance.

Citing data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), which indicates that only about 2.3% of agricultural households in the country currently use irrigation methods, the MP acknowledged that the government had already intervened by subsidising irrigation equipment.

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However, he lamented that farmers are still facing significant financial constraints.

MP Acuti elaborated that for a farmer to adopt irrigation on a one-acre piece of land, the costs are prohibitive: approximately shs5 million for the equipment itself, another shs5 million for establishing a water source, and an additional shs5 million for water storage facilities.

This brings the total investment to about shs15 million, a sum that the majority of local farmers simply cannot afford.

In light of this, Dr. Acuti appealed to the government to extend its subsidies beyond just irrigation equipment to also include water sources and storage facilities. He argued that this would significantly reduce the overall cost and enable more farmers to adopt irrigation.

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The Legislator emphasised that such intervention is particularly urgent, given the current prolonged dry spells and erratic rainfall affecting the country.

Responding to Dr. Acuti’s concerns, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Crispus Walter Kiyonga, assured the House that the government is currently working on an Irrigation Master Plan (IMP).

The IMP aims to expand access to water for agricultural production.

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Kiyonga added that the government has already identified irrigation as one of its top priorities for the current five-year term, as Uganda faces increasingly erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells that are affecting farmers across the country.

He noted that climate change is worsening weather patterns, and Uganda will continue to experience such difficulties. As such, the government is seeking to reduce the nation’s over-reliance on rainfall for agricultural production.

The Deputy Prime Minister cited that the government is actively developing a master plan to ensure the country takes full advantage of its rivers and other water sources.

He affirmed that this initiative would allow more farmers to access irrigation projects, thereby boosting agricultural resilience and productivity nationwide.