By Flavia Ajok
Masindi district council has approved the recommendations on the relocation of the weighbridges in line with the guidance of the state minister for trade.
The recommendations are contained in a motion tabled by the district secretary for production, works, natural resources trade and local economic development, Geoffrey Kiiza Bigabwa during an extraordinary council sitting held at the district council chambers on Tuesday.
The siting came after the ministry of trade asked the council to make recommendations on the relocation of the weighbridges after their closure over what it termed as an effort to combat sugarcane theft in Masindi district.
In the motion, Bigabwa tabled 13 recommendations that the district executive committee came up with. In the recommendations, all sugarcane leaving the district should be weighed before delivery, all companies or individuals involved in sugarcane business should have records at the weighbridges, all vehicles transporting cane should be clearly labeled by the company name.
Other recommendations are: weighbridges should be located along major routes where the sugarcane is being transported to, uncontracted famers’ sugarcane should be transported with a letter from the chairperson LC1 where it has been harvested and all sugarcane from the farmers should be sold directly to the companies buying cane without involving middlemen.
The councilors backed the recommendations, saying they will help the common people to benefit from sugarcane business.
After a short deliberation on the matter, councilor Timothy Twesige called for adoption of the recommendations which was unanimously seconded by the council.
Speaker Moses Kiirya who presided over the siting stated that the council minutes would be ready in one and be sent to the district chairperson for onward submission to the minister of trade.
Speaking after the council, John Karuhanga, the chairperson Southern sugarcane zone commended the councilors for the recommendations which he described as pro farmers and that will help them to benefit more from their business.
