Poor post-harvest handling of simsim costs farmers

Dec 07, 2016

Simsim is one of the most grown oilseeds in northern Uganda.

The poor handling of sesame, best known locally as simsim, by middlemen is affecting the fortunes of the farmers who grow the crop dearly.

 "Two years ago, there was a lot of simsim that was being exported out of Uganda. The price of simsim reached sh4000 per kilo. Today the price of simsim is sh2000 per kilo. Why?" questioned Robert Adwek, the Field Operations Manager at Mukwano Group.

This was at a recent stakeholder meeting of the Uganda Oilseeds Subsector Platform (OSSUP) held in Kampala.

"Uganda's simsim has no market internationally," he added.

"We the middlemen started adulterating the simsim, mixing simsim with sand, and without shame, we ship it out of the country.

"When we reach the market, it is rejected," said Adwek.

Moro Joseph, a farmer with Alito Joint Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Society in Kole district, said many farmers are losing the motivation of planting simsim as prices take a nosedive.

"Simsim involves a lot of work, so when you plant the crop and harvest it, only for a middleman to add sand into it, this is very disheartening."

Simsim is one of the most grown oilseeds in northern Uganda.

The crop does not need a lot of water, so is uniquely suited for the warm nature of the northern part of the country which receives far less rains than other parts of Uganda such as the central and western regions.

Initially, households grew the crop almost exclusively to provide the healthy and delicious oddi, an important ingredient in northern dishes.

But over the years, the oilseed has also become a commercial crop for many a farmer.



 

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