The Presidency Minister, Hon Milly Babirye Babalanda has assured the local leaders, investor and oil palm farmers of the government’s will to compensate the land owners to allow the flourishment of the oil palm project without any hindrance.
“Government is very much interested in oil Palm Growing and it explains why every time the President is addressing the public, he lays emphasis on palm growing,” Babalanda said Friday June 16, 2023.
The minister was giving her keynote address as chief guest at the belated Buvuma District Women’s Day celebrations held at Busamuzi Sub-county Headquarters.
The minister first had a guided tour of the oil palm nurseries under Oil Palm Buvuma Limited from where the LCV chairman, Adrian Wasswa Ddungu decried the delayed process to compensate the land owners.
Ddungu reported to the minister that the dalay was posing a serious challenge to the progress of the much desired palm project under the National Oil Palm Project through the Ministry of Agriculture.
He further told the minister that as a district, Buvuma was fully behind the Oil Palm project having borrowed a leaf from Kalangala which has been transformed courtesy of oil Palm.
He said what it was only the issue of compensation for land owners that continued to pose a serious challenge to the progress of the project in the area.
Earlier on, Oil Palm Buvuma Limited general manager, P.Chin in company of Salim Maiso who is the Chairman of Oil Palm Buvuma Limited raised the same challenge to the minister.
He said for them as were more than ready to accomplish the task at hand provided all land related matters are sorted.
In response, Minister Babalanda who was who was flanked by the State Minister for Culture, Peace Mutuzo said had taken note of the concerns of both the LCV chairman as well as those for the General Manager of OPBL.
The minister assured the investors of the government’s will to compensate the land owners to allow the flourishment of the oil palm project without any hindrance.
“Government is very much interested in oil Palm Growing and it explains why every time the President is addressing the public,he lays emphasis on palm growing”,Babalanda said promising to get in touch with the concerned entities to ensure that the issue of compensation is prioritized.
It should be noted that five years ago, residents from several villages in Buvuma surrendered their land for Palm but they are yet to receive compensation from government.
Such villages include Kakyanga, Bukalabati, Kaziru, Bukyiyindi and Ndaiga in Nairambi sub-county. Others are Bajjo, Bulima, Bubere and Butende in Busamuzi Sub-county.
Also residents of Mpolwe and Kabubu in Buvuma Town Council and of Nsese, Bukinalwa, Namatoke, Buwanzi in Buwoya subcounty gave in their land over 5 years ago.
The local leaders and investors say the delayed compensation continues to affect the quicker progress of the oil palm project.
Some of the would be beneficiaries have since passed on.
