The vegetable oil consumption in Uganda stands at 480 million metric tonnes annually yet 80,000 metric tonnes are produced locally a reason for the government intervention to ensure that at least 40 million metric tonnes of oil is produced annually locally.

The intervention is being done through the provision of improved sunflower and soybean seeds to large-scale farmers and farmer cooperatives dealing in oil seed production.

In the financial year 2022/20223, sh9b was released to boost key oil crops namely soybean and sunflower to farmers in Acholi and Lango regions for massive oil production.

The rise in oil prices is attributed to an interruption in the global supply chains of crude palm oil instigated by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and deteriorated by the ongoing fighting between Russia and Ukraine. Before the global crisis, Uganda still had low vegetable oil production.

The main objective of the intervention is to increase the commercial production of oilseeds for domestic consumption and industrial use in the country and enable large, medium, and small-scale farmers to develop their own capacities to manage oil seed production.

Using the sh9b, 500 metric tons of soybean seeds and 75 tons of sunflower seeds were distributed to 22 farmer cooperatives and 48 large-scale farmers in Acholi and Lango sub-regions in the month of September 2022 for planting.  

The focus is put on Lango and Acholi the traditional farmers of oil crops that have been facing challenges of poor yields and high cost of seeds. Unlike the previous National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) interventions where farmers were receiving free seed, this time around, government is going to share the cost of seeds with farmers.

The government pays 70% of the seed cost and farmers pay 30% of the seeds cost after the harvest. With the cost-sharing, farmers can now afford to buy a kilo of sunflower at sh21500 in their cooperatives instead of sh60,000 from Mukwano and middlemen sell between sh70,000 and sh80,000.

According to my observation of the gardens, the improved seeds given by NAADS will give better grains and kilos upon harvest which is expected in December 2022 or January 2023.  Edukello a member of Acwec omio cooperative in Oyam District agrees with me.

I happened to be one of the people who went with the NAADs team to check on the progress of the seeds given to farmers.  Edukello who planted 30 acres of improved sunflower seeds from NAADs is pleased with the yields in the garden found in Alidi village, Alidi Parish, Loro sub-county Oyam.  

She says the grains are of good quality expecting more kilos upon harvest in December. Her only worry is the low prices of sunflowers from the buyers. A kilogramme of sunflower is between sh850 and sh1200.

Another person testifying to the intervention is Ronald Okore, a member of Agali SACCOS in Ocamonyang village, Ocamonyang Parish, Agali Sub County, Erute County Lira district.

Okore had decided to halt farming sunflowers since he was getting poor yield and little kilos yet the seeds were costing him a fortune. With the NAADs intervention. He had to rethink his decision, he went to the cooperative and received NAADs improved sunflower seeds at less price because of cost sharing and he planted it as a trial on one and a half acres. Ronald is very content with his trial garden.  He expects to harvest 1000 kgs from a trial garden and sells a kilo at sh1000 making sh1m.  From the 1m, he has to return sh90,000 as the 30% payment for seed cost hence his balance is sh910,000. Ronald now plans to expand the garden.

For massive the production oil seed production, Amatheon Agric Uganda Limited was among the 48 large-scale farmers identified; since it had the capacity to produce massively with its land, labour, and advanced machinery. According to the general farm Manager Prosper Maphosa, 2000kg of sunflower seeds was planted on 750 hectares and 54,000 kg of soybean was planted on 17000 hectares.

The germination was 96% successful and he expects to harvest the two crops by end of December. Maphosa told us that he had never thought of planting sunflowers on a large scale because of the high cost of the seeds, this is the first time he to plant such a huge amount of sunflowers with the government intervention of cost sharing.  

750 sunflower hectares of Amatheon Agric Uganda Limited already booked by the buyer. This shows that the market is available for oil grains.   Amatheon Agric Uganda Limited sunflower is the largest in Nwoya district. The farmers we visited appreciated the government intervention in oil crop production and asked the government to continue with the program support.

The writer works with Uganda Media Centre