Food Shortage Persists in Soroti District

Residents of Soroti continue to battle food shortages resulting from poor crop harvests during the first season planting.

The sub counties of Kamuda, Asuret, Arapai, and Gweri are worst hit after recording low yields of maize, groundnuts, millet and beans during the first season of the year. Farmers are now rushing to plant drought resistant crops like sorghum and green gram also known as choroko as the second planting season begins.

Joseph Ogwang, a farmer in Kamuda Sub County blames the shortfalls on unreliable rains which cost him two acres of groundnut. Ogwang says although he had expected to harvest a minimum of five bags of groundnut, all he harvested was one bag.

Harriet Akiror, 48, a mother of five in Asuret Sub County harvested just a half a bag of beans from a plantation covering one acre.  Akiror is demanding that government provides farmers with seeds, in order to restore food security in Teso instead of providing relief supplies.

Peter Oringo, a Councillor representing Kamuda Sub County at the district council says several crops dried due to unreliable rain.

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Susan Agnes Apolot, a female Councillor for Asuret and Soroti Sub Counties at the district says most residents are now hoping to plant sorghum because it's drought resistant.

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Apolot however adds that the region is still shrouded in uncertainty due to changing weather patterns.

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She says people are still battling food shortages in the area as a result of poor harvest.

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Teso region was severely hit by food shortages last year exposing more than 1 million residents to severe hunger. About 8,000 households are still food insecure in Soroti district.