Kilak Farmers’ Cooperative Society to embark on massive soybean production

AMURU– Kilak Farmers’ Cooperative Society and Trafford, a dealer in soybean have signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] where farmers will produce soybean on a large scale and then sell the seeds to the company’s factory for processing.

In the partnership, Trafford will supply soybean seeds, post-harvest materials, fertilizers, and technical training on soybean farming while Kilak farmers’ cooperative society will mobiliSe farmers to plant the oil seeds.

Already 37 extension workers from the district have been trained in planting, pre and post-harvest management among others.

Trafford, which will buy the soybeans from the farmers, has established offices in Parabongo trading center while the processing factory will be constructed in Awer trading center in Lamogi sub-county.

Anthony Akol, the Chairperson of the cooperative society said that the 5-year partnership targets 22,000 farmers, though they will start with 3,000 this year.

He said that the farmers will be given the seeds and the money deducted during the time for buying by Trafford.

The members of the cooperative society have undergone a training organised by the Kilak North MP Anthony Akol, Lucy Akello, the Amuru District Woman Member of Parliament and Michael Lakony, the LCV Chairperson of Amuru district. The training was conducted in the last two years, with each parish in the district receiving Shs 10 million as seed capital.

According to Akol, the partnership will directly inject funds into the accounts of the farmers and improve their livelihoods in the long run.

Bosco Oloya, a member of the cooperative society, also among the pioneer beneficiaries of the partnership deal, said that many farmers were in the past reluctant to join soybean farming due to the infiltration by middlemen who cheat the farmers, leaving them with huge losses.

Oloya was excited that farmers have a prior agreement before they go into massive production of soybean.

https://thecooperator.news/acoli-farmers-disappointed-by-drop-in-soya-beans-prices/

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