The new State Minister for Cooperatives Hon. Frederick Gume called upon members of the Cooperative movement to participate in planting trees and contribute to environmental protection and mitigation against climate change.

Gume said this while launching the nationwide annual tree planting drive at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives offices at Farmers House in Kampala, on Friday 30^th June, 2016, ahead of the 94^th UN International Day of Cooperatives celebrations that would take place on Saturday 2nd July, 2016 in Nakaseke District. The drive is aimed at encouraging investment in tree planting as a sustainable investment option. Hon. Gume planted a cooperative tree at farmer’s house.

Hon. Gume said cooperators must set the example of planting trees because these trees not only mitigate the environment but they are also a source revenue to many Ugandans. He said the annual tree planting is a competition where those who would have planted.

Gume said Government is giving cooperatives a lot of strength in this new term and thanked the president for giving him an opportunity to make a contribution in the cooperative arena.

The nationwide annual tree planting drive is one of the events that have featured during the National Cooperatives Week that was launched by Government to create more awareness of the significance the co-operative movement has played in the development of Uganda. This drive is to contribute to environmental protection but most importantly emphasize to Ugandan co-operatives the responsibility in collectively creating wealth through sustainable economic practices like tree planting.

The tree planting drive started on Thursday 30^th June with Cooperators planting a cooperative tree at every Sub County as a move to encourage investment in tree planting as a sustainable investment option.

Throughout the year 2016, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives working with members of the cooperative movement, CSOs, Religious and Cultural Institutions and all government agencies will be planting trees with the aim of having 10 million trees planted by members of the co-operative fraternity around Uganda over the next year.

Working in conjunction with National Forestry Authority and Operation Wealth Creation, tree seedlings of coffee, fruits, timber, ornamental and medicinal trees have been distributed across the country and planting will go on for the entire year, in support of the 2016 Co-operative theme ‘the power to act for a sustainable future’.

At the end of the year, the winning co-operative will receive a prize in support of their great efforts towards conservation. The cooperative societies that will emerge victorious by planting more trees will win a trip to Nairobi, Kenya as an exposure, sponsored by Uhuru Institute for Social Development.