MASINDI, October 10, 2023 – Two cooperatives including Bwijanga Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative in Bwijanga Sub-county and Bujenje Maize Farmers Cooperative in Bikonzi Sub-county are not utilising value addition facilities acquired under the Agriculture Cluster Development Project [ACDP] in the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF].
Giving the state of the district address last week during the district council meeting, Cosmas Byaruhanga the LCV chairperson Masindi explained that mills installed through the matching grant arrangement to process maize flour are idle due to a lack of power supply.
“Bujenje Maize Farmers Cooperative requires about Shs 5.5 million while Pakanyi Area Cooperative Enterprise requires about Shs 28mln to be connected to the national grid,” he said, urging the central government to help connect the processing facilities to the national power grid.
In 2021, the government supported five cooperatives with more than Shs 900mln under ACDP to establish facilities that can process farmers’ produce.
The five cooperatives include; Masindi District Farmers’ Association, Bwijanga Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative, Gukwatamanzi Farmers’ Cooperative, Pakanyi Grain Area Cooperative Enterprise and Bujenje Maize Farmers’ Cooperative.
Five farmer cooperatives received Shs1.4 billion which included Shs 949mln from government while the farmer organisations themselves contributed Shs 467mln for the value addition project.
Bujenje Maize Cooperative Society received Shs 147mln, Bwijanga Coffee Cooperative got Shs 229mln, Gukwatamanzi Cooperative Society got Shs 206mln, Masindi District Farmers’ Association got Shs 166mln and Pakanyi Grain Dealers and Produce Area Cooperative Enterprise received Shs 200mln.
Speaking to this reporter in a telephone interview, Joseph Ssalongo, the chairperson Pakanyi Grain Dealers and Produce Area Cooperative Enterprise said that the machines were installed but they’re currently stuck with them due to lack of power.
“As a cooperative we have no money to connect ourselves to the national grid. We received the machines but we can’t add value to our maize produce. We call upon the leaders to lobby for us such that we are connected because it’s now coming to two years and yet other cooperatives are adding value to their products,” Ssalongo said.
Efforts to get a comment from the leadership of Bujenje Maize Farmers’ Cooperative was futile as they couldn’t be reached.
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