Busoga Farmers Encouraged to Switch from Sugarcane to Palm Oil for Better Livelihoods

Authorities in Bugiri District are urging farmers in the Busoga sub-region to transition from sugarcane to palm oil production, citing sugarcane as a primary driver of poverty and food shortages.

The Resident District Commissioner, Richard Gulume Balyainho, highlighted how locals often lease land cheaply to sugarcane growers for long periods, leaving them without food or income. He advocated mixing palm oil with crops like beans and maize to ensure both nutrition and earnings.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) is rolling out the 10-year National Oil Palm Project (NOPP), funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Officials like Environment Officer Robert Charles Aguma noted that Busoga’s fertile soils make it ideal, with free seedlings, fertilizers, and cash loans provided to smallholders owning up to five acres.

Aguma emphasized that soil tests confirm no environmental harm, and initial harvests can begin after three years, with markets already in place. Palm gardens already exist in Mayuge, where farmers are nearing their first yields.

Local leaders like Gulume, who pioneered the project in Buvuma, shared success stories of thriving farmers there. However, challenges persist: some Buwunga association members reported delays in seedling delivery despite preparing holes years ago, causing dropouts.

Farmer Proscovia Akinyi from Nankoma Sub-county stressed the need for pre-planting soil tests and timely pesticides, having paid for her own tests on her two-acre plot. Ibrahim Waiswa Katebala called for government-backed markets to shield against exploitative middlemen.

The project builds on a Shs780 billion investment launched last October in Mayuge by Minister Fredrick Bwino Kyakulaga, in partnership with Solidaridad East & Central Africa.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)