Kayunga Juice Plant Stalls Amidst Ownership Row, Farmers Suffer

A pineapple processing factory established in Busaale Village, Kayunga District, intended to add value to local produce and increase farmer earnings, has been non-operational for half a decade. The Shs2.5 billion facility, a joint venture between Pastor Yosiya Mubiru, Sem Agrotech, the National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads), and the Kayunga District Pineapple Farmers’ Cooperative, was built to process 12 tonnes of juice daily.

However, persistent disagreements over ownership rights among the founding parties have paralyzed the plant’s operations since its inception. This prolonged impasse has left farmers frustrated, with many abandoning pineapple cultivation due to significant losses from perishable produce.

Pastor Mutebi, one of the project’s initiators, has expressed his disinterest in the ongoing disputes, even suggesting that the government take over the factory. He recently met with Gen Salim Saleh, coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, proposing a government acquisition and expressing willingness to be compensated, or even not compensated at all.

Local agricultural officials and district leaders are urging the government to intervene, resolve the ownership issues, and hand over the factory to farmers for management. They highlight that the factory’s inactivity is directly impacting the livelihoods of approximately 2,000 pineapple farmers who had mobilized to supply the plant.

The situation has led to a shift in farming practices, with some farmers opting to grow sugarcane instead of pineapples due to the lack of a reliable market and the perishability of their crops. This marks the second major government-supported factory in Kayunga to fail, following the closure of a soap and cooking oil plant due to raw material shortages.

Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/kayunga-juice-processing-plant-idle-for-five-years-5599738