Nabbanja urges Butebo farmers to embrace high-value agriculture, value addition

What the report says

Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja has called on residents of Butebo District to use improving electricity access as a springboard for higher-value farming, agro-processing and other income-generating ventures. According to Nile Post, she delivered the message at an Energy and Mineral Development Ministry exhibition and thanksgiving event in Butebo, hosted by Energy Minister Monica Musenero Masanza.

Nabbanja urged households to move beyond subsistence agriculture and consider enterprises such as poultry, piggery where appropriate, and the processing of farm produce to capture more value locally. Her remarks linked electricity expansion with job creation and higher returns from agricultural output, reflecting a wider government push to pair rural electrification with local enterprise development.

The report says Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has spent more than Shs240 million on two projects in the district. These include extending the power network to Petete, where homes, a church, a primary school and town council offices were connected, and installing a 100kVA transformer to support a planned mini-industrial park in Kabarekere Village. UEDCL said the new transformer is intended to meet rising demand from commercial and agro-processing activity.

The developments matter because reliable power is often a key constraint on rural industrialisation. In broader context, electrification can help farmers and small businesses move from raw production to processing and market-oriented production, though the long-term impact will depend on financing, skills and local demand.