Nakhooda’s figures prove a good point!
Sep 18, 2006
SIR — I wish to thank Mr Farhan Nakhooda for exposing SCOUL (The New Vision, September 12). SCOUL wants to take Mabira forest yet it could get sugarcane from outgrowers!
SIR — I wish to thank Mr Farhan Nakhooda for exposing SCOUL (The New Vision, September 12). SCOUL wants to take Mabira forest yet it could get sugarcane from outgrowers!
According to Nakhooda’s data, Kakira Sugar Works harvested 512,430 tons of sugarcane from its estate in 2005 and 453,604 tons (47%) from outgrowers. Kinyara harvested 381,825 tons from its estate and 250,236 tons (40%) from outgrowers. Yet in the same year, SCOUL harvested 497,004 from their estate and only 66,120 tons (11%) from outgrowers! Why does SCOUL not use outgrowers and wants Mabira? Nakhooda’s data also shows that while Kakira yields 114 tons per hectare on their estate, SCOUL only manages 89 tons per hectare.
That tells us who is doing what about improving efficiency. Giving Mabira to SCOUL would be to reward a lazy and selfish company. It has not improved yields on its own estate and does not want to uplift the community by buying their cane!
SCOUL, please have some little shame — swalako!
- Sgt (rtd) George Segene
kampala
SIR — The issue of environment must be very sensitive to farmers
including Mehta the ‘sugar man’. It is very sad that we can even think of such things like planting sugarcane after destroying Mabira forest! SCOUL should help in planting trees instead of thinking of clearing Mabira for sugarcane. you do not have to enter Kakira Estate to see what I am talking about. But when I travel through Lugazi to Jinja, I don’t see any trees but only SCOUL’s vast plantation of sugarcane.
The government should give SCOUL land in Nakasongola to plant trees because trees have already been cut to give way for sugarcane.
These trees need to be replaced.
Lake Victoria is slowly drying up because most of the rivers that feed it come from Mabira forest.
Most of central Uganda is arid because too many trees have been cut for farming around
Lake Victoria. In Europe, even if a tree is in your compound, you could be jailed for life. the Sahara is said to be now moving downwards and we don’t want
it to get here soon.
- Tom Day
Kampala
SIR —I have read the article of Mr Farhan Nakhooda, the project Director of Kakira Sugar Works. it is full of figures in dollars and percentages and graphs indicating the growth and declining production of sugar in Uganda.
He gives reasons why sugarcane farming should be expanded. While this is very fine and true, the major concern is to protect Mabira forest. Mr Nakhooda should know that there is lots of free land in the country where SCOUL can start up sugarcane farming.
for example, Lwera on the Masaka-Kampala road. it is equally open and fertile and enough for such a project.
Buganda Kingdom has already promised SCOUL a whooping 15000 heactares of land for the same venture.
SCOUL can also encourage and provide expertise to smallscale outgrowers. The figures in Mr Nakhooda’s article are not very useful for the argument at hand.
- Edward Tinka Ndawula
kampala
According to Nakhooda’s data, Kakira Sugar Works harvested 512,430 tons of sugarcane from its estate in 2005 and 453,604 tons (47%) from outgrowers. Kinyara harvested 381,825 tons from its estate and 250,236 tons (40%) from outgrowers. Yet in the same year, SCOUL harvested 497,004 from their estate and only 66,120 tons (11%) from outgrowers! Why does SCOUL not use outgrowers and wants Mabira? Nakhooda’s data also shows that while Kakira yields 114 tons per hectare on their estate, SCOUL only manages 89 tons per hectare.
That tells us who is doing what about improving efficiency. Giving Mabira to SCOUL would be to reward a lazy and selfish company. It has not improved yields on its own estate and does not want to uplift the community by buying their cane!
SCOUL, please have some little shame — swalako!
- Sgt (rtd) George Segene
kampala
SIR — The issue of environment must be very sensitive to farmers
including Mehta the ‘sugar man’. It is very sad that we can even think of such things like planting sugarcane after destroying Mabira forest! SCOUL should help in planting trees instead of thinking of clearing Mabira for sugarcane. you do not have to enter Kakira Estate to see what I am talking about. But when I travel through Lugazi to Jinja, I don’t see any trees but only SCOUL’s vast plantation of sugarcane.
The government should give SCOUL land in Nakasongola to plant trees because trees have already been cut to give way for sugarcane.
These trees need to be replaced.
Lake Victoria is slowly drying up because most of the rivers that feed it come from Mabira forest.
Most of central Uganda is arid because too many trees have been cut for farming around
Lake Victoria. In Europe, even if a tree is in your compound, you could be jailed for life. the Sahara is said to be now moving downwards and we don’t want
it to get here soon.
- Tom Day
Kampala
SIR —I have read the article of Mr Farhan Nakhooda, the project Director of Kakira Sugar Works. it is full of figures in dollars and percentages and graphs indicating the growth and declining production of sugar in Uganda.
He gives reasons why sugarcane farming should be expanded. While this is very fine and true, the major concern is to protect Mabira forest. Mr Nakhooda should know that there is lots of free land in the country where SCOUL can start up sugarcane farming.
for example, Lwera on the Masaka-Kampala road. it is equally open and fertile and enough for such a project.
Buganda Kingdom has already promised SCOUL a whooping 15000 heactares of land for the same venture.
SCOUL can also encourage and provide expertise to smallscale outgrowers. The figures in Mr Nakhooda’s article are not very useful for the argument at hand.
- Edward Tinka Ndawula
kampala