__________________________

HARVEST MONEY EXPO

KAMPALA - The 2024 Harvest Money Expo was organised by Vision Group in partnership with the Netherlands Embassy.

Other sponsors were the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Tunga Nutrition, Engineering Solutions (ENGSOL), Techo Serve, Uganda Investment Authority (UIA), Uganda Warehouse Receipt System Authority, KOICA-K-ABIC, dfcu Bank, Private Sector Foundation Uganda, AKVO International, Pepsi, and State House. 

The aim of the expo is to push Uganda’s agriculture to a commercially viable level.
From October 2023 all through the first weeks of February, the country has been experiencing continuous rains. 

For farmers to earn more than sh400 for a kilo of their grains, they have been advised to embrace the available but quality storage facilities so as to keep the grains longer till the price improves. (All Photos by Richard Sanya)

For those who planted in time, they have reported a bumper harvest, especially grains.

Reports coming in from cooperatives in the eastern district of Bugiri indicate that grain prices have dropped to as low as sh400 a kilo from sh1200 the previous season due to a bumper harvest of grains in the last cropping season.

For farmers to earn more than sh400 for a kilo of their grains, they have been advised to embrace the available but quality storage facilities so as to keep the grains longer till the price improves. 

Some of the storage facilities that they should look out for include smart silos that can be acquired by all types of farmers, including smallholder farmers, harvesting as little as 500 kilogrammes of grain to keep their grain until the market price improves.

According to Oscar Kamukama, the marketing manager of Steel and Tube Industries, which manufactures and is showcasing smart water tanks at the Harvest Money Expo, stainless steel silos are the latest technology for storage, as opposed to traditional grain storage facilities such as granaries. 

“The new silo can store grains for up to 12 months. If a kilo of maize is sh1000 and you envisage that in the next ten months, it will sell to 2050, you can buy the grains at the current price, then store them, and only sell them when you are comfortable with the price,” Kamukama said.

The silos are stainless steel in nature, and when it is hot, the sunrays are bounced back to maintain the cool temperatures in the silos. And at the time of purchase, the manufacturer opens the silo and expels all the oxygen to prevent the survival of any kind of insect or weevil that could harm the grains while in storage, Kamukama added. 

To ensure the safety of the silos, he added that through the research and development they conducted on the product for 13 months, no formation of mold or moisture was found in the silos.

He added, however, that for the effective performance of the silos, they should be kept away from direct sunlight. “When you purchase, don’t put silos under direct sunlight; they should be placed under a cool place, which could be grass thatched, tarpaulin, or house shade, to prevent their effectiveness,” he added.

Types of grains to be kept in these silos include maize, beans, sim sim, and soybeans, among others, apart from coffee. However, for one to achieve the best results, grains should be placed in silos of any type when well-dried. 

If not, farmers should look out for mobile dryers so as to keep well-dried grains in the silo, added an official from the Grain Council of Uganda.