The Uganda National Chambers of Commerce and Industry has called on smallholder farmers in the Lango sub-region to grow cassava on a large scale and adopt value addition to access better markets.
The farmers were also advised to form cooperatives to increase their bargaining power and earnings.
Revitalising the cassava industry
Fred Doi, the chairperson of the chambers’ Lira city branch, made the call during the closure of a two-and-a-half-year project, aimed at promoting cassava production and its value chain.
The project, ‘Strengthening Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Ecosystem for Inclusive Rural Transformation and Livelihoods in eastern Africa’, was implemented across four districts of Lira, Kwania, Apac and Dokolo and increased cassava production significantly.
Doi made the remarks while addressing cassava farmers at Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute.
Impact
The project, worth sh400m, was implemented by the National Agricultural Research Organisation and Divines Organic Foods in Lira city.
It started with eight women groups, according to Noela Ojara, the chief executive officer of Divines Organic Foods. At its closure, the project had expanded to 24 farmer groups in the districts of Alebtong, Luwero, Otuke and Nakasongola.
Reviving a legacy
Doi also urged the Government to revitalise the defunct Starch Factory in Lira, which was built in 1968 to manufacture commercial starch. The factory’s collapse in the 1980s led to a decline in cassava production.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: NARO officials training farmers in Itek sub-county in Lira about the cassava varieties. Photo by Patrick Okino
