MP Ogwal Secures 41 Tonnes of Relief Seeds for Drought-Hit Dokolo, Warns Against Diversion

What the report says

Dokolo North County Member of Parliament Joseph Jones Ogwal has said government relief seeds for drought-affected Dokolo District must be kept secure and distributed only through the approved process, warning officials against diversion or sale to shops and supermarkets. The remarks, reported by Dokolo Post, were made in Dokolo, Uganda, as the district prepares to receive the consignment during the current planting season.

According to the report, the support was secured after months of follow-up between the district leadership, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Operation Wealth Creation team. Ogwal said the request grew out of severe weather damage in the district, including prolonged drought and hailstorms that affected farming livelihoods. He added that the Resident District Commissioner’s office has been asked to receive and store the seeds ahead of a stakeholders’ meeting that will decide how they are allocated.

The district’s share is reported as 41,000 kilogrammes, made up of 40,000 kilogrammes of maize seed and 1,000 kilogrammes of bean seed. The wider Lango Sub-region allocation totals 487,000 kilogrammes of assorted seeds across 10 districts. Dokolo Post said the package is intended to help farmers recover from crop failures and other losses linked to the drought.

The article says the district had appealed for urgent help after months of suppressed rainfall and high temperatures led to crop loss, livestock losses, water shortages and food insecurity. As context, emergency seed distribution is a common post-disaster agricultural response meant to help households resume planting and reduce longer-term livelihood damage.