Making millions from one acre of land

Mar 29, 2009

IN his anti-poverty tours across the country, President Yoweri Museveni has maintained that one of his major ambitions is to have families earn at least sh20m per year. <br>

By Joshua Kato

IN his anti-poverty tours across the country, President Yoweri Museveni has maintained that one of his major ambitions is to have families earn at least sh20m per year.

This message has, however, been met with mixed reactions from the population, with many people claiming it is impossible.
But if there are already people earning this amount from an acre per year, why not you?

Farmers with only an acre will have to deal in high value intensive production. It is not possible, for example, for one to earn that amount from an acre if he is growing maize, cassava, potatoes or rice.

High value produce mainly includes animals like pigs, hybrid cows for milk production, fish farming and poultry.

Keep pigs
Although not widely kept, piggery ranks among the most valuable activities. At the moment, there is an estimated two million pigs in the country and prospectively, these are much lower than the standing demand.

For one to keep five pigs, he needs just a space of 10 decimals. This is about 10% of the acre. This space is enough to construct a shade (sty).

Pigs can produce twice a year and if well looked after, they produce an average of 10 piglets though others produce 15.

If the piglets are for sale, the average price for each is sh30,000 each. If one is breeding pigs for pork, he sells them between the 5th and 6th month. By that time, if a pig is well looked after, it weighs over 40kgs.

“Each of these pigs goes for around sh100,000,” says Edward Muwema, a farmer in Luweero. The market for pigs is readily available across the country.

At the moment, a kilogram of pork goes for sh5,000 in ordinary butcheries.

Keep dairy cows
On the same acre, one can keep two dairy cows. The two need at least 5 decimals for the shelter and another 10 decimals to plant grass for the cows.

If the dairy cows are mature and well looked after, each of them can produce a minimum of 20 litres per day, for a sustained 10 month of the year. With two of them, it comes to 40 litres.

With a liter going for sh400 in the villages, and if the farmer sells 35 of them, he would earn around sh14,000 per day, from the sale of milk alone. This translates into sh420,000 per month or sh5.04m per year.

It is, however, quite expensive to start a dairy project. For example, constructing the basic shelters may cost you sh2m, while buying both cows may cost you over sh1.5m.

Rear chicken
According to David Hans Nyanzi, the operations Manager, UGACHICK, producers of chicken products in Uganda, if chicken are maintained well, a farmer will earn profitably.

For example, if one is keeping broilers he disposes them of every three months.

In a year, he sells off three times. With 1,000 chicken, and each going at an average sh5,000 the farmer would earn sh5m per sale.
Pigs, cows and chicken consume just half an acre.

You can then use the other half for planting crops, like bananas. You can plant at least 30 plants of bananas in the space left.

With the animal manure generated from the cows, pigs and chicken, the bananas will certainly thrive. After nine months, they will start producing.

And after one year, the first harvests will start. A bunch of bananas at the moment costs between sh3,000 and sh5,000 on shambas in a radius of 40km from Kampala.

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