Lango Cooperatives Bag Shs 2.7 Billion

Lango cooperatives have cashed over shs 2.72 billion in sunflower production.

Ngetta Tropical Holdings (NTH), the producer of Virgin Gold cooking oil based in Lira is working with farmer cooperatives, to provide guaranteed market for sunflower seeds.  The cooperatives are planting Agsun 8251 sunflower seeds which are imported from South Africa and sold to the farmers at a fair price.

With the unpredictable weather conditions in some parts of the country, there are numerous outcries from farmers, with regard to the impact of weather conditions on the quantity and quality of harvest.

However, for over 40 farmer cooperatives in Northern Uganda especially in Lango region which registered viable production of Agsun 8251 during the first season this year, their story is positive.

MARKET

Not like alarms made on maize price, these cooperatives produce with ready market set by NTH at a price of 1,100 shillings per kilo.

Mr. Enyang George, the Manager, Production & Special Projects at Ngetta Tropical Holdings who spoke to this news site revealed that since 1 July 2018 there are 2,473,000 tons of grains in stock, only bought from the members of cooperatives.

Mr. Enyang said these cooperatives were able to cash in over 2.72 billion shillings for the Agsun 8251 grains they produced and sold to NTH.

“Farmers should produce, store and market together” says Mr. Enyang for our community to realize the strength of a cooperative.

Lapul and Puranga farmer cooperatives in Pader are amongst the cooperatives dealing in this production alongside over 40 others in Lango.

In addition to sunflower, the cooperatives are involved in production of other crops.

Virgin Gold Cooking Oil, accredited by UNBS was launched on 16 August 2018.