Amuru leaders mobilise farmers to utilise dormant Shs 1.5bln government stores
The ACDP, which was scheduled to conclude last year, was designed to increase agricultural productivity and improve market access in selected clusters across the country
AMURU, May 14, 2025 –– Leaders in Amuru district are stepping up efforts to mobilise farmers to make use of government-constructed storage facilities built under the Agricultural Cluster Development Programme [ACDP], formally a joint initiative between the Ministry of Agriculture and the World Bank.
In 2021, the government constructed 11 storage facilities in the district, valued at Shs 1.5 billion, with the aim of increasing agricultural productivity and helping farmers secure better prices for their produce. However, the stores have largely remained unused, with farmers opting instead to sell directly to middlemen who operate within local communities.
Kilak South Member of Parliament, Gilbert Olanya, attributed the underutilisation of the stores to the farmers’ limited capacity to farm on a large scale.
“Many farmers lack the means to produce in bulk. Their harvests are modest, so they prefer selling to the ever-present middlemen rather than transporting produce to distant stores,” Olanya said.
Despite the government’s significant investment, Olanya stressed the need for local leaders to play a more active role in supporting farmers to fully utilise the facilities.
Amuru District LC5 Chairperson, Michael Lakony, said that in collaboration with government’s Operation Wealth Creation [OWC] programme, the district is targeting over 3,000 farmers for seed distribution in the current planting season. The aim is to encourage more farmers to adopt commercial agriculture so the stores can be put to effective use.
Seeds currently being distributed include maize, sesame, sunflower, and rice. After harvesting, the produce will be stored in the government facilities, with the OWC expected to buy directly from the farmers.
“With government support, we hope more farmers will engage in commercial farming and use these stores. Since the government is ready to purchase from them at favourable prices, this will improve incomes and reduce post-harvest losses,” Lakony said.
He added that the government also plans to distribute post-harvest handling materials, such as tarpaulins, to serious and consistent farmers, in a bid to improve the quality of produce and meet storage standards.
Robert Okot Achach, Chairperson of the Northern Uganda Tractor Owners and Farmers Association [NUTOFA], says one of the key challenges has been quality control.
“Many farmers fail to meet the minimum quality standards required for storage in government facilities, largely due to poor post-harvest management,” he said.
Nixon Oloya, a farmer from Lajalula Village in Lakang Sub-county, pointed to the long distance and high transport costs as deterrents to using the government store located in Amuru Sub-county, approximately 70 kilometres away.
“In Lakang Sub-county, we have no government stores. Expecting me to transport my harvests that far just to wait for a buyer isn’t realistic,” Oloya said. “This is why middlemen flock here because we lack storage options that allow us to wait for better market prices.”
Under the ACDP, government aimed to improve market access and enhance farmer incomes. In 2021 alone, over Shs 2 billion was invested in Amuru district to rehabilitate access roads and build storage infrastructure to support this goal.
The Amuru district’s commercial department has been tasked with helping farmers access markets through the use of these facilities. The ACDP, which was scheduled to conclude last year, was designed to increase agricultural productivity and improve market access in selected clusters across the country.
https://thecooperator.news/amuru-district-seeks-over-855000-coffee-seedlings-for-farmers/
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