The Russian government has donated $3 million (about Shs11 billion) to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) unit in Uganda to help the East African nation purchase pesticides and equipment needed to fight desert locusts.
The donation was delivered by the Russian Ambassador to Uganda Alexander Polyakov.
“Tt is my great honour and pleasure to address this symbolic, but importanthandover ceremony of a $3 million cheque for the contribution to Uganda made by theRussian Federation through the UN Food and Agriculture Organization,” Polyakov said.
“This is part ofthe larger Russian donation of $10 million to FAO to fund their regional efforts to addressthe catastrophic desert locust invasion in East Africa. Our contribution will be used topurchase pesticides, fuel, vehicles and sprayers as well as for the employment and trainingof personnel for the pest’s elimination.”
According to Alexander Polyakov, the donation will help scale up efforts of the Ugandan government in the fight against desert locusts.
It is not the first time Russia has supported Uganda.
Last year the Russian government — in addition to 218 Kamaz trucks handed over to the UN World Food Programme in Uganda in 2015 — donated another 53 vehicles to assist its Kampala-based Regional Logistics Hub to boost humanitarian response throughout the East and Central African region.
“All in all, it is my strong belief that the Government of Uganda in cooperation withthe UN — and with the support from Russia — will be able to put an end to this scourgeand help the affected communities to get back on their feet. I am also very pleased to notethat the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has already proposed toFAO several areas of support to spend these funds on,” the ambassador said.
“And, truth be told, I look forward to visiting one of the affected areas to see with my own eyes the results of this hard work‘ on the ground.”
