By Faridah Ndagana
apearlnews.com
Tobacco farmers in Kukube who have been calling upon the government for help after the private companies that collected their leaf have a cause to smile after the government moved to have them verified.
The verification for farmers in Kikube district kicked off on the 15th and ended on the 20th of this month. The exercise is being conducted by the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives.
Recently. The Government of Uganda Pledged to help the Private Companies NIMATI BACK and Continental Tobacco who purchased Tobacco leaf from Farmers in Bunyoro and later failed to pay a total of Shs11 billion for the tobacco supplied between 2017 and 2019 to sort out the mess.
Businge Fatuma the Senior Commercial Officer says that the Verification Exercise is aimed at ascertaining the real farmers who were affected.
She added that the Government is ready to pay the Farmers on behalf of the Companies which will later pay back to the Government. The agreed modes of payment will be Mobile Money and Bank Accounts of the beneficiaries.
Bisobora Fred a Tobacco Farmer who was attached to NIMATIBACK revealed that at least there is a reason to smile after the Government accepted to pay the long-awaited Sums of Money on behalf of the Private Companies.
He hopes to use the money to pay school fees for his children.
