FDC presidential candidate Nandala's promise to Buhweju tea farmers

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Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate James Nathan Nandala Mafabi has promised to stop what he called the exploitation of tea farmers by setting up favourable regulations and prices.

He made the promise in Buhweju district on Wednesday (December 10) on his western Uganda campaign trail.

Once the pride of Buhweju’s economy, tea has in recent years become a painful symbol of collapsed cooperatives, exploitative middlemen and factories offering unpredictable, often meagre prices for the green leaf.

Many farmers have switched to coffee or abandoned commercial farming altogether. But Nandala has assured them that things will change if he is elected Uganda's president in 2026.

“We are going to regulate tea prices. Middlemen will not exploit you. We shall revive cooperative unions that will buy your tea, set fair prices and give you interest-free seed capital to expand production," said the first-time presidential candidate.

Nandala was on the second day of his seven-day campaign tour of western Uganda, traversing Buhweju, Bushenyi and Sheema districts. 

He held five rallies across Buhweju before moving to neighbouring areas, accompanied by FDC district flagbearers and local leaders.

Although he addressed issues of mining, roads, and education, the plight of tea farmers dominated his speeches, reflecting Buhweju’s historic identity as a major producer of some of Uganda’s finest leaf.

Tea farming in the district has been crippled by poor prices, lack of regulation, extortion by middlemen, and the collapse of cooperatives that once helped farmers negotiate better rates. 

With no stable market, desperation has pushed some to sell tea at giveaway prices, sometimes for as low as sh200 per kilogramme.

“Farmers here have been left at the mercy of factory agents and traders. You grow tea, harvest it, and still go back home with nothing. How can you be poor when you produce something the whole world consumes?” said Nandala.

He claimed that leaders have watched the tea sector deteriorate without intervening to protect growers.

“This government only pretends to care. But look at the truth: your cooperatives collapsed, your factories dictate prices, and your leaders say nothing."

'Your protection'

Nandala's plan to revive the tea sector is centred on restoring cooperatives and regulating buying prices at the national level.

Under his administration, he said, co-operatives would once again become the backbone of agricultural marketing, ensuring farmers are not cheated by private buyers.

“We shall reintroduce and strengthen cooperatives because they are your protection. Through these unions, you will get stable prices, reliable buyers and even capital to expand your gardens.”

According to the FDC frontrunner, co-operatives would also play a key role in value addition, including setting up leaf collection centres, supporting transportation and eventually establishing processing facilities to increase earnings for growers.

The promise of interest-free seed capital drew enthusiastic cheers from farmers, who complained that access to agricultural loans has remained a privilege for a few.

“With co-operatives, we shall give you credit without interest, not loans that suffocate you. You will be able to plant more tea, hire labour and improve your gardens."