How farmers are reaping big from oilseeds project
Minister Rwamirama urged farmers to embrace agricultural exhibitions as platforms for learning, innovation, and improving farming practices.
Oilseed farmers showcase their products during the National Agriculture Show in Jinja. (Credit: Prossy Nandudu)
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For Moshebo Moses, a farmer from Magada Co-operatives in Namutumba district, the journey to prosperity began after years of struggling with poor yields. Previously, he grew soybeans on a single acre without proper guidance, harvesting a meagre 300 to 450kg, far below the recommended 700 to 1,500kg per acre.
He explained during the ongoing National Agriculture Show in Jinja city that traditional soya beans are small, hard and the pods easily split to scatter seeds in the garden before harvest, leading to poor harvests.
Moshebo continued using the same low-quality seed alongside other crops like maize and groundnuts until he attended a crucial meeting involving farmers, the agriculture ministry (MAAIF), and the district administration two years ago.
Moshebo showcases his soybeans during the National Agriculture Show. (Credit: Prossy Nandudu)
Facilitated by ministry officials through the National Oil Seeds Program (NOSP), the training equipped him with knowledge on new seed varieties, best farming practices, harvesting, and storage.
Since then, the rest is history. Transitioning to the Mak soya3N variety recommended by NOSP, Moshebo has expanded his soybean cultivation from one acre to five. The increased profits have enabled him to finance his children’s education, build a good house, and venture into poultry farming.
He is among farmers across Uganda who are experiencing life-changing financial gains and improved agricultural practices thanks to the National Oil Seeds Project, an initiative that is boosting household incomes and production levels.
These farmers are among the 120,000 targeted by the NOSP to transform their livelihoods through the production of oilseeds such as groundnuts, sim sim, soybeans, and sunflower. Sharing their testimonies at the National Agriculture Show, organised by the Uganda National Farmers Federation in partnership with MAAIF, the attendees attributed their bumper harvests to improved access to quality oilseed varieties, which have greatly reduced the challenges associated with counterfeit and poor-quality seeds.
The exhibition also exposed farmers to a range of value-added products, including cooking oil derived from sesame and soybeans, new soybean seed varieties, and sunflower seed cake for livestock.
Commenting on these developments, the animal husbandry state minister Bright Rwamirama appealed to farmers to maximise the benefits of such exhibitions to revolutionise their farming practices.
“Through platforms like trade shows, farmers, innovators and researchers get to disseminate agribusinesses, and development partners share knowledge, innovations, and strengthen partnerships needed for Uganda’s agricultural transformation starting with individual farmers,” he said.