Uganda: Low sugarcane prices push Busoga farmers towards the cliff

Published 2021년 7월 12일

Tridge summary

Busoga, a Ugandan region that makes up over half of the country's milling sugar factories, is facing economic challenges due to the sugarcane farming industry. The industry, while providing vital income, has been plagued by unpredictable market prices, leading to exploitation of farmers by middlemen and low prices for their produce. This situation has pushed many households into poverty and has led to malnutrition among children as farmers prioritize growing sugarcane over food crops. In response, farmers are organizing into cooperatives to gain more bargaining power against the factories. The government is supporting farmers to supply sugarcane to a factory in Amuru District, which is expected to generate significant revenue and benefit local communities. The region is also struggling with poor infrastructure and delays in payment, which further exacerbate the challenges faced by the farmers.

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Original content

Sugarcane plantations, which spread across tracts of land in Busoga are the economic pulse of the sub-region that holds more than 50 per cent of the country's milling sugar factories. Almost every parcel of land is utilised to the extent that of the 11 districts in the sub-region, 10 are engaged in large-scale sugarcane farming. In this part of the country, the price of sugarcane determines the wellbeing of communities. Mr House Mawuluba, a local, says sugarcane farming is an economic activity that has been inherited from older generations. "My father was a businessman and sugarcane farmer, the money from this business paid my tuition, I decided to enter into this business to pay fees for my kids, I have got good things and bad things, I came to Kaliro, and I am the chairperson of the cooperative society. I have about 400 farmers," he says. As Uganda's domestic demand exponentially grew in the early 2000s driven by consumption in emerging urban centres and in the neighbouring ...

Source: All Africa