President Museveni Orders Chinese Out Of Wetlands

President Yoweri Museveni has ordered the immediate vacation of Chinese firms and individuals who do rice farming on wetlands, after numerous public outcries on wetland encroachment in a renewed environmental conservation drive.

“I don’t like swamp rice, swamp rice here is dangerous because they grow it in the Nile tributaries. They are branches of the Nile, they dry them up and so I want to stop it,” said President Museveni.

President Museveni made these remarks while opening the 10th Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference at Munyonyo in Kampala.

He said that though these partnerships increase food security, they should not come at a cost of the environment. ” I don’t know whether this rice can grow on dry land, or irrigated land, I don’t mind irrigation but I don’t like growing rice in the swamp,” added President Museveni.

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