By Flavia Ajok
The Association of Uganda professional women in agriculture and environment have castigated a decision by National Forestry Authority board of directors resolving to increase ground rent payable by commercial plantation farmers who operate within selected forest reserves.
Speaking to our reporter on Tuesday evening, Restuta Bogere, a member of the association of Uganda professional women in agriculture and environment operating in Fumbya forest reserve says she was troubled by the NFA board’s decision to double ground rent payable annually by plantation farmers operating within a radius of 50KMs from cities.
Bogere says the benefit of forests to the environment and absorption of greenhouse gas emissions are so beneficial to cities compared to those in rural areas and there the prices wouldn’t have been doubled.
Bogere says instead the fee would have remained to shs15, 000 per hectare annually since their plantations are doing a very good job of absorbing gases emitted by vehicles, firewood, factories among others from cities.
Boaz Basigirenda, the range manager, Budongo range system that covers the whole of Bunyoro sub region recognizes the values of commercial tree plantations in the forest reserves towards purification of air, absorption of gases, reduction of emissions and reduction of concentration of carbon monoxide but is hopeful with carbon trade in place, all will be quantified to ascertain the value of commercial forest plantations.
Basigirenda says, as NFA, they have to ensure that commercial tree plantation farmers make profit from their plantations but condoled with them for the loss of some plantations due to fires he attributed to high temperatures.
Juliet Alum, the hills sector manager for Budongo says new rates were communicated after increments from shs15, 000 to shs50, 000 annually per hectare for the three forest reserves that fall with a radius of 50KMs from Hoima city and they include Fumbya, Nyakunyu and Nsekuru central forest reserves.
