GULU, January 21, 2026 — Groundnuts are among the most consumed legumes in Acholi Subregion and the rest of northern Uganda, commonly ground and mixed with vegetables and dried meat to make sauce.
However, production of the legume in the region remains low, largely due to limited access to quality seed. This is a challenge that the Northern Uganda Tractor Owners, Operators, Mechanics and Farmers [NUTOFA] SACCO, an agricultural cooperative, is addressing by providing quality groundnut seed to farmers on loan.
Robert Achac Okok, the Chairperson of NUTOFA, says the cooperative has partnered with Okeba Seeds Limited, a private company, to support farmers in the districts of Gulu, Nwoya and Amuru with Red Beauty groundnut seed.
Achac explains that the Red Beauty variety is resistant to Groundnut Rosette Virus, a disease that causes stunting and distortion of growing groundnut shoots. Research shows that plants affected at an early stage may fail to produce nuts altogether.
He adds that the Red Beauty variety also thrives in low to moderate rainfall and is highly preferred on the local market.
“Access to quality seed is a nightmare for the majority of smallholder farmers in the Acholi sub-region. This is the challenge we are addressing by providing seed on loan. Farmers pay back after harvesting, so there is no pressure,” Achac said.
He noted that the cooperative is currently recovering seed loans issued to farmers during the second planting season of 2025.
“For each bag of groundnuts given to a farmer, they return two bags after harvest. One bag is planted on one acre of land and yields a minimum of 15 bags. Farmers can sell 10 bags for income and keep the remaining two for household consumption,” Achac explained.
In Nwoya District, 120 members of Can Deg Lok Farmers Group in Alero Sub-county received 120 bags of Red Beauty groundnut seed during the second planting season of 2025.
Okumu Oloya, a member of the group, says they have so far returned 240 bags of groundnuts to NUTOFA.
He added that the group will sell the remaining 1,560 bags. Currently, a bag of groundnuts sells for between Shs 130,000 and Shs 150,000.
Oloya says membership of the Can Deg Lok Farmers Group has grown to 140 this year, and the group is eager to partner with more organisations willing to supply quality seed on loan to enable timely planting.
“We wish more organisations would supply us with quality maize and soybean seed. This would increase our output. We are blessed with fertile soils, and most crops perform very well here,” he said.
Achac says that in addition to providing seed on loan, NUTOFA and its partner, Okeba Seeds Limited, are also buying groundnuts from farmers at prevailing market prices.
“We intend to buy at least 90 percent of the groundnuts grown by our farmers. For now, our focus is on seed multiplication so that more farmers can benefit in the coming seasons,” Achac said.
Failure to access seed on time often leads to late planting and poor yields across the Acholi sub-region.
Achac expressed satisfaction that farmers are gradually moving away from dependence on handouts of agricultural inputs from government and non-governmental organisations.
“We worked with 300 farmers in 2025. This year, we intend to scale up the service and introduce additional seed varieties. Farmers are happy with our approach because it supports them throughout the entire production process,” he said.
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