Operation Wealth Creation partners with UBL to promote farming

The Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) programme has entered into a partnership with Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) to promote the growing of cassava, sorghum and barley.

Under the arrangement, OWC shall co-ordinate government institutions and other value chain actors to promote high quality production.

Maj. Kiconco Tabaro, the OWC spokesperson said through Government’s Parish Development Model, farmers will be able to increase production, maintain quality standards during planting, harvesting and post-harvesting management.

The partnership that was signed into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at Afro-Kai Centre in Purongo sub-county, Nwoya district, will promote the three strategic crops that will be bought by UBL for processing of alcoholic beverages.

“To achieve this, OWC and UBL will jointly undertake different exercises of capacity building of selected farmers in the use of advanced agronomic practices, provide inputs and crop protection materials, such as pesticides and herbicides,” Tabaro said.

The MOU was signed on Wednesday by Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho aka Salim Saleh, the chief co-ordinator OWC and Alvin Mbugua, the managing director of UBL.
Mbugua said joining OWC will increase the scope of reach for local raw materials programme throughout northern Uganda.

“As the private sector, sometimes our reach can be limited by resources and teams to manage mobilisation efforts. Partnering with public sectors, such as OWC, significantly increases farmers that we can reach, easily moving us from impacting over 45,000 farmers to double or more,” Mbugua explained.

He added that both UBL and the agricultural value chain actors, led by OWC, will work towards marketing and advancing export promotion of the crop byproducts to the wider East African Community and the rest of Africa as a measure to create wealth at household levels.

“As we celebrate 75 years of existence, we are celebrating this milestone with our farmers, thanks to our partnership with OWC,” he said.

Recently, UBL entered a partnership with the National Agricultural Research Organisation to promote research and development aimed at advancing agricultural production and productivity for rural farmers.

Annually, UBL spends over sh45b on farming communities in northern, eastern and western Uganda.

Saleh said farmers are powerless, adding that the partnership will be a great avenue for changing the adverse position of the farmers in the value chains of those strategic crops by improving their production and productivity.

Saleh also noted that having market from a willing and ready buyer, such as UBL, which is one of the biggest manufacturers and exporters in the East African region, was a great opportunity.

“The role of the private sector in achieving government’s development agenda by driving agricultural productivity, opening up markets and facilitating increased private investment in the sector cannot be undermined. I am happy that UBL has come on board to support our farmers to improve their lives,” he said.

During the function, Saleh presented a book titled, Who and Where is the Farmer, to Mbugua. The book contains a set of research done to understand the power relations of agriculture and value chain.

Farmers’ Challenges
Farmers under Palwo Integrated Co-operative in Aremo sub-county, Omoro district said lack of value-addition for the produce affects members’ earning after sales.

In an interface with Brig. Gen. Francis Ongom, the Operation Wealth Creation commander for Acholi sub-region and Nicholas Opito, the chairperson of the co-operative, said entering into partnerships with companies would improve their earnings.

Vicky Akello said one kilogramme of treated maize seeds from agro-input dealers costs about sh4,500, yet at farm gate, it costs only sh700. Lack of storage facilities, especially for the grains, has also compelled farmers to sell their produce at low prices when the supply is high, yet the buying price is low.