Soroti cooperatives receive Shs 186mln machinery for value addition

SOROTI– Three farmers’ cooperatives in Soroti district have received machinery worth Shs 186 million to process their cassava into finished products, ready for consumption.

The cooperatives include Community Link for Development Organization in Arapai, Amoru- Amoroto Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited in Awaliwal Subcounty and Awoja Rural Produce Saving and Credit Cooperative in Aukot Subcounty.

The machinery were procured through the Matching Grant Facility under the government’s Agriculture Cluster Development Project [ACDP].

ACDP is a five-year project initiated in 2018 to improve on-farm productivity, production, and volumes of selected agricultural commodities in specific geographical clusters of the country.

With support from the World Bank, the project helps farmers to process their produce, especially maize, rice and cassava and improve the road infrastructure connecting farmers to the various markets.

The machinery for drying and processing cassava were handed over to the beneficiaries on Tuesday at Soroti district headquarters in a function attended by Soroti deputy RDC, Stephen Odongo, District Internal Security Officer [DISO] Robert Tukundane, Vice-chairperson Samuel Enangu, and CAO, Aggrey Muramira among other officials.

Moses Okello Eceku, Soroti district agricultural officer said the machines have the capacity to grade maize and produce quality cassava flour.

He explained that the machines will help farmers improve on value addition and quick processing of making cassava flour thus increasing their incomes.

“The farmers have been relying on the open sun-drying system of several tons of cassava which would compromise the quality and required standards on the market,” Okello Eceku stated.

According to Okello, with the acquisition of the machines, the market price for dried cassava will significantly increase, as the production of quality cassava flour will improve for the benefit of the farmers.

John Olupot one of the farmers, was grateful to the government for supporting them with the processing machines, saying that the market price for dried cassava will significantly increase.

“Open drying and poor handling usually affect the quality of cassava flour due to the toxic mould that grows on it because of poor storage,” he said.

According to him, they usually lose tons of cassava that go bad due to poor handling and lack of value addition machinery and modern technology to address the problem.

David Odeke, the Chairperson Amoru-Amoroto Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd to the Cooperator that the drying machine will enable them to meet the demand since it can dry their cassava in one day to save more time and money.

He noted that they have been suffering due to unfavourable weather conditions that delay the drying process.

“The cassava usually does not dry quick enough to meet customer orders and is susceptible to contamination from soil, wind and birds, among others,” Odeke said.

Okello is very optimistic that machines will not lie idle as farmers have grown and stored enough produce for processing.

Sharon Mary Anyait, a member of Amoru-Amoroto Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited is happy that they will now make more money since they will process their produce.

She noted that traders have been taking advantage of the unprocessed maize to give farmers low prices.

“Traders have been buying our cassava chips at the cheapest price. Now that the government has given us processing machines, we are going to start processing and packing cassava flour, which we hope we will sell at Shs 2,000 per kilogramme,” she said.

Annet Akurut one of the restaurant operators in Soroti town, said she was buying a  kilogramme of cassava flour at between Shs 800 and Shs  1,000 as the quality was wanting.

However, she believes that with value addition machinery now in place, the quality of cassava flour will improve.

Meanwhile, Jessica Florence Akiteng, the Soroti district council secretary for production urged farmers to process their produce since they now have the machinery, further saying they will earn more money.

She said farmers need to constantly be innovative to remain relevant in a competitive market.

Stephen Odongo, the Soroti deputy resident district commissioner, cautioned the beneficiaries against misuse of the machinery.

He said that they should use the equipment to serve their intended purpose and warned the SACCO leaders against sideling other members when it comes to whatever money will be generated.

https://thecooperator.news/maize-farmers-get-shs-100mln-machines-for-value-addition/

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