Sorghum bonanza
Oct 23, 2003
FARMERS in the district have earned sh120m from the sale of the epuripur sorghum variety to Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) this season.
By Nathan Etengu
FARMERS in the district have earned sh120m from the sale of the epuripur sorghum variety to Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) this season.
Charles Aben, the Soroti district agricultural officer, said on Wednesday the district sold 400 tonnes of the sorghum to NBL at sh300 a kilo.
“We could have even done much better if some of the sub-counties had not been disturbed by the insurgency caused by Joseph Kony’s (left) Lord’s Resistance Army rebels,†Aben said.
He said that the district supplied 400 out of the 600 tonnes NBL bought up.
NBL uses the this sorghum variety to brew its Eagle brand beer.
Aben said farmers from the sub-counties of Katine, Arapai and Gweri did not harvest their crop. He said that Katine was one of the most promising sub-counties where a large acreage of the crop had been cultivated.
“Most of the farmers were forced to abandon their homes and were living in the camps for the internally displaced persons at the time of harvesting,†Aben said.
“This time we expect a better harvest since the farmers have realized the benefit of cultivating the sorghum,†he said.
NBL is subsidising farmers to grow the sorghum.
FARMERS in the district have earned sh120m from the sale of the epuripur sorghum variety to Nile Breweries Limited (NBL) this season.
Charles Aben, the Soroti district agricultural officer, said on Wednesday the district sold 400 tonnes of the sorghum to NBL at sh300 a kilo.
“We could have even done much better if some of the sub-counties had not been disturbed by the insurgency caused by Joseph Kony’s (left) Lord’s Resistance Army rebels,†Aben said.
He said that the district supplied 400 out of the 600 tonnes NBL bought up.
NBL uses the this sorghum variety to brew its Eagle brand beer.
Aben said farmers from the sub-counties of Katine, Arapai and Gweri did not harvest their crop. He said that Katine was one of the most promising sub-counties where a large acreage of the crop had been cultivated.
“Most of the farmers were forced to abandon their homes and were living in the camps for the internally displaced persons at the time of harvesting,†Aben said.
“This time we expect a better harvest since the farmers have realized the benefit of cultivating the sorghum,†he said.
NBL is subsidising farmers to grow the sorghum.