Bugisu small-scale farmers form union to bypass middlemen

MBALE CITY, October 1, 2026 — Small-scale food crop farmers across the Bugisu Subregion have officially formed a unified agricultural union to address low market prices, eliminate exploitative middlemen and strengthen their collective bargaining power.

The newly established union, dubbed the Obuntu Farmers Union, aims to bring together thousands of smallholder farmers who grow essential food crops, including bananas [matooke], maize, beans, groundnuts, vegetables and cassava, as well as those engaged in fish farming across the fertile volcanic slopes of Mount Elgon.

For decades, agricultural organisation in the hilly region has been dominated by the historic Bugisu Cooperative Union [BCU], which primarily serves Arabica coffee growers.

However, local food crop farmers argue that while cash crops receive structured institutional support, food security crops have long been left at the mercy of unregulated open markets.

“We have the most fertile soils in the country, yet our food farmers remain trapped in poverty,” said Jamada Kisambira, the Chairperson of the union.

Kisambira was speaking during the launch of the new union at Namunsi Primary School in Mbale City’s Northern Division.

“Individually, a smallholder cannot dictate the price of a bag of maize or a bunch of matooke to traders coming from Kampala. But as a single, united union, we will set the price, bulk our produce and process it ourselves,” he said.

Kisambira said the union now brings together small-scale food crop farmers from across the region and neighbouring districts.

The union’s Executive Secretary, Francis Mabeli, said its primary mandate would focus on establishing localised bulking centres and investing in post-harvest handling infrastructure, including modern maize mills and cold-storage facilities for perishable produce.

“By pooling resources, the farmers also intend to bypass local middlemen and supply food staples directly to large institutional buyers, including schools, hospitals and regional cross-border markets,” he said.

Local leaders have welcomed the initiative, saying organising food crop farmers is critical to boosting household incomes and safeguarding regional food security.

The Deputy Mayor of Mbale City, Abdul Aziz Sharaf, commended the union’s leadership, saying the initiative would strengthen the farmers’ bargaining power.

“When we are lobbying, we look for groups like Obuntu for funding. You are now easy to support because you are a united team,” he said.

George Mwanika, the Mayor of Northern Division, echoed the Deputy Mayor’s remarks, noting that the Government was looking for organised groups to support with funding.

Ibrahim Ssemakula, the Assistant Resident City Commissioner for Northern Division, said the Obuntu Farmers Union was in line with the Government’s Operation Wealth Creation [OWC] programme.

He asked the union’s leadership to identify farmers who have benefited from the Parish Development Model [PDM] and work with them to boost the productivity of the union.

“The government has given money to individual farmers in the country as a way of improving their livelihoods. I therefore implore you, the leaders, to tap into those farmers and help them grow,” he said.

Ssemakula added that there should be a deliberate effort to add value to the farmers’ produce, saying this would increase the amount of money they earn from their products.

Enock Woniaye, the Constituency Coordinator for Northern Division Member of Parliament Umar Nangoli, said the legislator was ready to work with the farmers to achieve shared prosperity and help eradicate poverty in the community.

He said the union was reshaping the direction of farmers from subsistence to commercial farming, noting that farmers should produce with the purpose of putting more money in their pockets.

“Add value to your crops. As a union, you should desist from selling raw products and instead add value to the products you have produced. This will increase the revenue generated within the union,” he said.

The Bugisu Sub-region frequently experiences post-harvest losses during bumper harvests due to inadequate storage facilities, a challenge the new union hopes to address through collective investment.

The union’s interim committee is currently conducting a registration drive across the districts of Mbale, Sironko, Manafwa, Bulambuli, and Bududa, with the aim of bringing primary farmer groups into a centralised union.

https://thecooperator.news/bcu-to-renovate-primary-cooperative-societies-across-nine-zones/

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