Farming earned him wealth and a visit from the President
HARVESTING MONEY<br><br>Who am I to host the President of Uganda in my house?†asks Sam Matovu of Kikyusa. On September 30 2007, President Yoweri Museveni paid Matovu’s home an impromptu visit.
HARVESTING MONEY
By Joshua Kato
Who am I to host the President of Uganda in my house?†asks Sam Matovu of Kikyusa. On September 30 2007, President Yoweri Museveni paid Matovu’s home an impromptu visit.
“I was at a rally that the President was addressing in Kikyusa town. He asked the crowd: “How many of you have benefited from the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme?â€
Several people stood up, but the President asked the rest to sit down, save for two. Matovu was one of them. “He asked me: ‘How have you benefited from NAADS’?â€
Matovu explained that two years earlier NAADS had given him a quarter acre of pineapples which had multiplied into tens of acres. “I thought it was going to stop at the rally, but after my explanation, the President asked if my home was nearby,†Matovu says.
When he said the farm was less than one kilometre from the rally grounds, the President asked if he could visit it. “Can you take me there?†the President asked.“Yes, your Excellency,†Matovu replied.
He had never dreamt that the President would visit his home. As soon as he accepted, the President’s team immediately rushed to his home to prepare for the visit. A few minutes later, Museveni arrived.
He was not disappointed. Matovu’s home spells out ‘agriculture’ from the moment you branch off the main road. The driveway is lined with Omuteete grass. Further on are rows of passion fruit plants and to the left, a quarter-acre garden of pineapples. This, Matovu told the President, was the magic that changed the face of pineapple-growing in Kikyusa sub-county.
“When NAADS officials came to the sub-county, they were looking for progressive farmers to workwith to enhance pineapple-growing. They identified me and gave me these pineapples,†he explained.
At the time, although pineapple growing was going on in other areas of the district, it was not practiced in Kikyusa sub-county. Farmers there had a few crops for domestic consumption.
Matovu explained that previously he had a job as a machine technician with Mukwano Industries. However, in 2004, he left the job, to start practicing agriculture.
“I used to grow one or two crops, largely on a subsistence level. I had coffee, but it was destroyed by coffee wilt disease. It was not easy,†he said.
The advent of NAADS was therefore god-sent for Matovu. “When I heard that they would be coming to the area, I went for one of their workshops. They trained us in modern agriculture practice and that is when I was selected to have the pineapple demonstration farm,†he recalls.
As a result, pineapple growing has spread like a wild fire to other homes in the area. Adjacent to Matovu’s farm is another pineapple farm, almost five acres big, owned by farmers who learnt from his experience. Pointing at a heap of pineapple seedlings, Matovu says : “I am going to give them out to people in the community to plant.â€
The President also visited Matovu’s other projects. He practices mixed agriculture; he grows coffee, maize, potatoes and cassava and has several dairy cows all on 20 acres. “I have one-and-a-half acres of hybrid maize which is ready for harvesting now,†he explained. At the moment, a kilogramme of dry maize costs sh900. “I have already prepared four acres for maize next season,†he says.
Matovu is still ploughing most of his earnings back into the farm. “Breaking even in money terms may not come so soon. However, in terms of the multiplied investments that I have, I can say, I have already broken even,†he says.
Unlike many farmers, Matovu keeps up-to-date records of his crops, earnings and expenditures. “You cannot be a successful farmer without keeping records,†he says as he peruses through a black book. Matovu believes his success can be replicated across the country. Determination and being focused is the way forward,†he says.
Challenges
Like most farmers, getting value for money is Matovu’s biggest challenge. “Often, the pineapples ripen at the same time. The supply is therefore high, yet the demand remains constant and as a result prices drop,†he laments.
To this end, Matovu has acquired a fruit-drier to add value to his produce. “A kilo of dried pineapples costs sh8,000, five times as much as a fresh pineapple, “ he says.
The unpredictable weather is also another challenge. “I planted all this maize but the rains were not sufficient,†he says as he walks through a section of scorched maize.
Benefits
Matovu’s house, made of concrete and with iron sheet roofing, is one of the best in the village. “I have been able to renovate it from the proceeds,†he says. He has also been able to educate his children, up to University.
Above all, farming has raised his profile . “Do you see this invitation?†he asks, waving a piece of paper. “I have been invited to present a paper at a workshop in Nairobi on sustainable agriculture, organised by the East African Farmers’ Federation.â€
Matovu says all this would not have been possible were it not for the fame he has got from the hoe. “How many people have been visited by the President?â€he asks, with a look of satisfaction on his face.
KEY FACTS
Name of farmer Sam Matovu.
Location of farm Kikyusa sub-county, Luwero district.
Key business
Pineapples, maize, root crops growing, dairy cattle
How he started
Got agriculture extension skills from NAADS, was given a pineapple demonstration plot
Estimated earnings About sh20m per year.
Farmer’s contact 0782940209
By Joshua Kato
Who am I to host the President of Uganda in my house?†asks Sam Matovu of Kikyusa. On September 30 2007, President Yoweri Museveni paid Matovu’s home an impromptu visit.
“I was at a rally that the President was addressing in Kikyusa town. He asked the crowd: “How many of you have benefited from the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme?â€
Several people stood up, but the President asked the rest to sit down, save for two. Matovu was one of them. “He asked me: ‘How have you benefited from NAADS’?â€
Matovu explained that two years earlier NAADS had given him a quarter acre of pineapples which had multiplied into tens of acres. “I thought it was going to stop at the rally, but after my explanation, the President asked if my home was nearby,†Matovu says.
When he said the farm was less than one kilometre from the rally grounds, the President asked if he could visit it. “Can you take me there?†the President asked.“Yes, your Excellency,†Matovu replied.
He had never dreamt that the President would visit his home. As soon as he accepted, the President’s team immediately rushed to his home to prepare for the visit. A few minutes later, Museveni arrived.
He was not disappointed. Matovu’s home spells out ‘agriculture’ from the moment you branch off the main road. The driveway is lined with Omuteete grass. Further on are rows of passion fruit plants and to the left, a quarter-acre garden of pineapples. This, Matovu told the President, was the magic that changed the face of pineapple-growing in Kikyusa sub-county.
“When NAADS officials came to the sub-county, they were looking for progressive farmers to workwith to enhance pineapple-growing. They identified me and gave me these pineapples,†he explained.
At the time, although pineapple growing was going on in other areas of the district, it was not practiced in Kikyusa sub-county. Farmers there had a few crops for domestic consumption.
Matovu explained that previously he had a job as a machine technician with Mukwano Industries. However, in 2004, he left the job, to start practicing agriculture.
“I used to grow one or two crops, largely on a subsistence level. I had coffee, but it was destroyed by coffee wilt disease. It was not easy,†he said.
The advent of NAADS was therefore god-sent for Matovu. “When I heard that they would be coming to the area, I went for one of their workshops. They trained us in modern agriculture practice and that is when I was selected to have the pineapple demonstration farm,†he recalls.
As a result, pineapple growing has spread like a wild fire to other homes in the area. Adjacent to Matovu’s farm is another pineapple farm, almost five acres big, owned by farmers who learnt from his experience. Pointing at a heap of pineapple seedlings, Matovu says : “I am going to give them out to people in the community to plant.â€
The President also visited Matovu’s other projects. He practices mixed agriculture; he grows coffee, maize, potatoes and cassava and has several dairy cows all on 20 acres. “I have one-and-a-half acres of hybrid maize which is ready for harvesting now,†he explained. At the moment, a kilogramme of dry maize costs sh900. “I have already prepared four acres for maize next season,†he says.
Matovu is still ploughing most of his earnings back into the farm. “Breaking even in money terms may not come so soon. However, in terms of the multiplied investments that I have, I can say, I have already broken even,†he says.
Unlike many farmers, Matovu keeps up-to-date records of his crops, earnings and expenditures. “You cannot be a successful farmer without keeping records,†he says as he peruses through a black book. Matovu believes his success can be replicated across the country. Determination and being focused is the way forward,†he says.
Challenges
Like most farmers, getting value for money is Matovu’s biggest challenge. “Often, the pineapples ripen at the same time. The supply is therefore high, yet the demand remains constant and as a result prices drop,†he laments.
To this end, Matovu has acquired a fruit-drier to add value to his produce. “A kilo of dried pineapples costs sh8,000, five times as much as a fresh pineapple, “ he says.
The unpredictable weather is also another challenge. “I planted all this maize but the rains were not sufficient,†he says as he walks through a section of scorched maize.
Benefits
Matovu’s house, made of concrete and with iron sheet roofing, is one of the best in the village. “I have been able to renovate it from the proceeds,†he says. He has also been able to educate his children, up to University.
Above all, farming has raised his profile . “Do you see this invitation?†he asks, waving a piece of paper. “I have been invited to present a paper at a workshop in Nairobi on sustainable agriculture, organised by the East African Farmers’ Federation.â€
Matovu says all this would not have been possible were it not for the fame he has got from the hoe. “How many people have been visited by the President?â€he asks, with a look of satisfaction on his face.
KEY FACTS
Name of farmer Sam Matovu.
Location of farm Kikyusa sub-county, Luwero district.
Key business
Pineapples, maize, root crops growing, dairy cattle
How he started
Got agriculture extension skills from NAADS, was given a pineapple demonstration plot
Estimated earnings About sh20m per year.
Farmer’s contact 0782940209