Kiruhura district has been invaded by tsetse flies with the residents calling for government support to eradicate the pests that have seen several cattle in the area die.
Reports show that for the past five years, cattle farmers in Kiruhura have borne the burden of fighting tsetse flies, whose cost they said was exorbitant and discouraging to commercial cattle farmers.
Nyabushozi County Member of Parliament, Wilson Kajwengye told Parliament that an estimated 100,000 herds of cattle have been affected by the diseases caused by the flies.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has intervened but minimally, said Kajwengye.
Kajwengye said Kiruhura has registered notable financial loss resulting from the decline in milk and beef production.
It is estimated that the district has lost Shs 26 billion and Shs 15 billion from sales of milk and beef respectively.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Among said she received similar reports from residents during her recent visit to Kiruhura and asked the Agriculture Ministry to urgently assess the disease burden in the district. END.
