Covid-19 Stirs Scramble For Lemon, Ginger

HOIMA – Lemon and ginger prices are climbing higher in Hoima as demand soars for the fruits deemed to have immunity-boosting properties against the rampaging novel Coronavirus.

There have been more than 72,679 confirmed cases of Covid-19. The virus has killed more than 680 people, according to the June 19 official statistics from the Ministry of Health.

Interviewed for this story, Annette Murungi, a lemon seller in Hoima Central Market, said demand for lemons in the district has outstripped supply.

She said lemons are bought from Gwedo sub-county in Buliisa District but when the ban on inter-district movement came into effect on June 10, traders in Hoima couldn’t replenish their supplies.

She noted that transporting a sack of lemon from Buliisa to Hoima is too expensive because police officers lean on the Covid-19 restrictions to extort money from traders.

She said one big lemon costs about Shs 2,000 and a small one costs Shs 1,000.

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James Murungi, a ginger and garlic trader, said demand for the two has soared.

According to him, ginger and garlic supplies come from Kampala but that stopped after the ban on inter-district movement. He said a cluster of ginger costs Shs 3,000 up from Shs 1000. He added that a cluster of garlic now costs Shs 5,000 up from Shs 2,000.

Julius Ayesiga, the Hoima Central Vendors Association chairman, said the price for a sack of ginger has climbed from Shs 200, 000 to Shs 500,000. He said a sack of lemon has climbed from Shs 60,000 to Shs 300,000.

He added that transporting such produce to the market is very difficult and suppliers who manage to sneak their products into the district end up hiking the prices.

“Prices had to increase since such fruits are not produced in Bunyoro region and the movement from one district to another is not easy yet there is a growing demand from the population,” he said.

Peter Mwesigwa, a resident in Hoima town, said, “I have been using lemons and ginger to boost the immunity of my family but I cannot manage to buy them because I am a low income earner, I tell you lemon fruits are going to remain for the rich families,” he cried out.

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Street Vending Empties Hoima Central Market

HOIMA – One-by-one, vendors are walking out of a fast emptying Hoima Central Market and pouring onto the crowded city streets to sell their merchandise easily.

The abandoned lockups are mainly on the second and the third floor of the storied facility built under the Markets and Agriculture Trade Improvement Project – MATIP.

The Shs 11 billion project was funded by the African Development Bank –ADB. About 100 lock-ups are occupied out of the available 180.

The market has over 800 registered vendors. theCooperator has however, learnt that a number of vendors are abandoning the lock-ups because customers are buying from the streets.

Henry Kyarigonza, the chairperson of Kahoora Market Vendors SACCO, said the growing number of street vendors is under cutting their colleagues inside the market.

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He said they have severally asked Hoima city authorities to intervene and force street vendors to operate in gazzeted areas without much success.

“This challenge is also forcing the remaining vendors in the market to abandon the facility and go on the streets since buyers are no longer coming to the market because they get what they need on the street,” he said.

“For example, we had allocated the eggplant sellers lockups inside the market but since they wait for the whole day without getting a customer, they have also moved out of the market to sell their produce on the street,” he said.

Some market vendors have demanded a tax waver, citing slow business and low sales brought on by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and unregulated street sales in the central business area of the city.

Many sellers have relocated to city streets including Bunyoro-Kitara and Byabacwezi Roads.

“Every place in the city has turned into a market, therefore I request authorities to force such sellers into the market as a business center for specific commodities other than trapping buyers outside of the market on streets leaving those inside without customers” Haruna Kasangaki, a vendor and SACCO member.

Godfrey Kutegeka, the chairman Hoima Central Market Traders Association, said vendors are pushed out of the market by high taxes.

He demanded a tax waver. He said a combination of slow business, slow sales, outstanding bank loans and tax arrears make it hard for them to pay tax and sustain their trade.

“The vendors have a lot of debts because business slowed down due to COVID-19 and they cannot pay taxes. This forces some to move out of the market and operate on the street,” he said.

Hoima City Clerk, Godfrey Mbamanyisa, insists that vendors must pay their arrears worth about Shs 200 million.

He says failing to pay tax implies a failure to deliver various services in the market like security, water and electricity among others.

“We are supposed to pay UMEME, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) and other service providers such as cleaners and security are demanding Shs 42 million. Where should we get this money if the vendors are asking for tax wavers,” he asked.

Mbamanyisa said that soon they will evict all street vendors and hawkers.

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Amuru Builds Shs1.5bn Produce Stores

AMURU –To spur on-farm productivity and shore up the market for big volumes of agricultural commodities, Amuru District local government is constructing 11 produce stores worth about Shs1.5 billion for cooperative groups and farmer associations.

The 3,000 metric tons each capacity stores are being built in Atiak Sub County, one in Pabbo Sub County, four in the northern Amuru town council and three in Lamogi Sub County.

The beneficiary cooperatives include; Pupwonya Cooperative Society, Pabbo Rice Cooperative Society, Amuru Progressive Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Ojigi Cooperative Society in Amuru Sub County and Patopa Cooperative Society in Amuru district.

Samuel Kidega, the Amuru District commercial officer, said construction of the produce stores is funded under the Agriculture Cluster Development Project-ACDP program.

ACDP, which started in January 2012, is a partnership project between the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and the World Bank –financed by the bank’s International Development Assistance (IDA).

https://thecooperator.news/ministry-of-agriculture-to-construct-post-harvest-handling-facilities-in-57-districts/

The project, implemented in 57 districts across Uganda, aims to raise on-farm productivity, production, and marketable volumes of selected agricultural commodities (maize, beans, rice, cassava and coffee).

Kidega said farmers have been hiring small lockup shops in the trading center to store their produce.

Amuru District Production Officer, Okwonga Batulumayo said a lack of storage facilities in most sub counties in the district forced farmers to store their produce in their houses.

“Quality is usually compromised when farmers store their agricultural produce in the house,” Okwonga said.

The production officer said Shs 2.5 billion has been given to the district to construct roads linking storage facilities to the market.

“These roads will ensure that farmers do not waste too much money on transport to access the market for their produce,” He said.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey Orsbon Oceng, the Amuru Resident District Commissioner, urged farmers to own stores.

“The government is doing everything possible to help farmers move out of poverty by investing in projects that directly help them but they have to embrace the projects,” he said.

Amuru District has 15 produce stores already, which were constructed by non-governmental organizations but only one in Pabbo Kal in Pabbo Sub-County is fully operational.

Interviewed, Bartholomew Okwonga, the Amuru District Production Officer, said some farmers abandoned the produce stores because of poor handling of their produce in storage.

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Abapiri Farmers Lobby For Shs 400m Warehouse

KWANIA –Frustrated by how little farm produce they can stash away, a 450-member group of farmers allied with Abapiri Oil Seed Cooperative Society, in Abapiri Village, in Chawente Sub County, Kwania District is lobbying the government, well-wishers and donors for Shs 400 million to construct a warehouse.

The cooperative, which deals in soya beans, maize, simsim and other cereal crops plans to construct a store to bulk members’ farm produce for sale.

Stephen Otim, the chairman of the cooperative, said they have already procured land to build the warehouse but are still lobbying the government, well-wishers and donors for funds.

https://thecooperator.news/budget-kwania-cooperatives-get-shs-89m/

“We are grappling with the challenge of proper storage, however, the cooperative has a plan of constructing a big store estimated to cost Shs 400 million, we already have land but we are seeking support from the government,” he said.

He said the government should rehabilitate roads and provide irrigation systems to boost farmers’ production. Thomas Olal, a member of Abapiri Oil Seed Cooperative, is optimistic that construction of the warehouse will allow them to bulk their produce and sell at affordable prices to help members climb out of poverty.

Hellen Ayao urged the government to invest in different cooperatives in the country. She rallied people to join groups in order to benefit from the government programs.

“We lack a warehouse, I call upon the government to support us, we want to bulk our produce and sell at affordable prices as you know bulking is power. This will help us get a lot of money to eradicate poverty at the grassroots. I want to encourage people to join the group so that we benefit from the government program,” she said.

Patrick Bura, the Kwania District Commercial Officer, said in a telephone interview that; “Cooperatives have a potentially strong role in reducing poverty and social exclusion, and promoting national development. The government is yet to plan on how to support such cooperatives, but as of now they can write a proposal to the Africa Development Bank for financial support, yes as of now.”

Abapiri Oil Seed Cooperative Society started in 2017 as a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) – largely to promote commercial agriculture and strengthen group marketing for increased household income. The Cooperative currently has a total of 451 members with 150 loan portfolios. However, it is operating without a proper storage facility.

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Gulu Farmers Avoid Large Scale Farming

GULU –Deeply frustrated by the high cost of opening and ploughing virgin land, farmers in Acholi sub-region have steered clear of large scale farming.

Beatrice Kipwola, a member of Paicho Central Kal Cooperative Society in Paicho Sub County, Gulu district, told theCooperator that she has restricted herself to cultivating no more than five acres of land.

“Each season I plant only five acres of both soya beans and beans. This year, I had planned to add another five acres, but this means I have to inject Shs 900,000 in just opening and ploughing the virgin land, minus other inputs, planting and weeding expenses. This is a risk I don’t want to take, considering that high yields are not a guarantee,” Kipwola said.

A tractor costs between Shs 80,000 to Shs 90,000 to dig up an acre of unused land. An ox-plough costs Shs 40,000.

https://thecooperator.news/gulu-rice-farmers-group-goes-for-big-loans/

Since more than 90 percent of people in Acholi sub region are engaged in either subsistence or commercial agriculture –free hands for hire to open new land are hard to come-by because everyone is busy.

Each person or family does their own land opening.

Kipwola, who gets a net profit of about Shs 300,000 to Shs 400,000 every season, said she is afraid of expanding her gardens because hiring individuals to open land costs Shs 120,000 per acre. She said the high cost diminishes her profit margins.

Kipwola hires an ox-plough to open land.

Joska Lacaa, another member of Paicho Central Kal Cooperative Society, said she cannot cultivate beyond three acres.

Lacaa said she has restricted herself to growing only an acre of ground nuts and an acre of maize to avoid the prohibitive cost of opening new land.

She said uprooting a single tree stump from virgin land costs between Shs 10,000 to Shs 20,000.

“If there are 20 tree stumps on an acre, it means I have to part with a minimum of Shs 200,000 before employing the use of a tractor, twice. So, where will my profit come from?” Lacaa said.

Simon Opiro, the chairperson of Paicho Central Kal Cooperative Society, said land opening is a daunting task for the more active 47 female members of the cooperative. The cooperative has 219 members, but only 81 are active. Unlike men who can do some of the tasks, women have to hire most of the services, he said.

Opiro said that besides the prohibitive cost of hiring tractors for land opening, the whole sub county has only three tractors, which are always occupied. He said it takes about a month or more to get a tractor on-the-ground after booking.

Santa Joyce Laker, the chairperson of Atiak Sugar Plantation Out growers’ Cooperative Society Limited, said land opening is the biggest challenge to the cooperative.

“Operation Wealth Creation gives only seeds; how do you give seeds to someone who is unable to clear a large farm for commercial agriculture?” Laker said.

“We need support from government. It has only supported us to open land for sugarcane, not other crops, yet commercializing agriculture needs a lot of inputs,” Laker said.

A 2016 study of Land, Food, Security and Agriculture in Uganda by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Makerere University Business School found that cooperatives in Uganda now, unlike in the heyday of the cooperative movement, are not getting enough government support in terms of inputs.

The study suggests that agriculture credit be extended to cooperatives in form of tractor hire services and supply of inputs such as pesticides and other equipment, such that recovery is done at the time of sale of produce.

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