Teso farmers to benefit from sweet potato processing plant as establishment gets underway

SOROTI, August 17, 2026 — Farmers in the Teso Sub-region are set to reduce post-harvest losses and earn more from sweet potatoes as the establishment of a new processing facility in Serere district gets underway.

US$ 40,000 [about Shs148.5 million] has already been secured to kick-start the project, which is funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme under the World Bank.

The facility will process surplus orange-fleshed sweet potatoes into flour, crisps, pasta and other products, providing farmers with a ready market even during peak harvest periods when prices often fall.

Speaking at Soroti Hotel over the weekend, Joseph Okalebo, coordinator of the Soroti Sweet Potato Producers and Processors Association [SOSPPA], said the association has profiled 97 farmer groups comprising 2,090 farmers, of whom 54 percent are male and 46 percent female.

“We are targeting 20,000 farmers, 100 groups across Teso, and 3,000 school-going children, provided schools come on board. The project will run for four years,” Okalebo said.

He added that SOSPPA is training farmers in seed multiplication, linking groups into hubs to improve market access, and promoting the wider use of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.

Dr Frederick Kobina Ebo Grant, Country Manager and Nutrition Scientist at the International Potato Center, said land for the project had already been acquired in Serere district and that procurement of equipment would begin immediately.

“We have both the funding and the land ready. For years, our farmers in Teso have sold raw sweet potatoes cheaply and watched a lot go to waste. This plant will change that,” Kobina said.

He said the facility would process orange-fleshed varieties into flour, crisps and other products, and was expected to open new markets for farmers across the region.

According to Kobina, a market survey conducted beyond Teso revealed strong demand for sweet potato products, to the extent that supply could struggle to keep up.

He urged farmers to embrace the project and increase production of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.

He also called for climate-smart production and year-round seed saving.

“If farmers have clean materials, they will produce. When crops are affected, it discourages them from producing,” Kobina said.

Paul Ariko, an agronomist with SOSPPA, said improving soil fertility would be key to increasing yields. He recommended practices such as minimum tillage, the use of compost manure and crop rotation.

He identified sweet potato virus disease [SPVD] as the biggest challenge facing farmers.

“With clean planting materials free of pests and diseases, we will be able to control it,” Ariko said.

He also advised farmers to plant early to take advantage of the rains and use organic pesticides to protect crops without harming soil health or reducing their market value.

Serere District LCV Chairperson Martin Onguruco welcomed the initiative, saying communities had the potential to transform their livelihoods. He expressed hope that processing at the facility would begin soon.

Onguruco said farmers needed to move away from growing sweet potatoes mainly for home consumption and embrace commercial farming to improve their incomes.

Christine Akello, a farmer, said women grow most of the sweet potatoes but earn the least because they largely sell the crop in its raw form.

“With this plant in Serere, we can now process and add value. It means more money for school fees and feeding our families,” Akello said.

Zeblon Ejomu welcomed the timing of the facility, saying sweet potatoes often rotted in gardens during peak harvest periods because of market glut.

“Now we can take them to the plant and nothing will go to waste,” Ejomu said.

Teso Subregion is one of Uganda’s leading sweet potato-producing areas, but farmers have long struggled with low prices during peak harvest periods. The processing facility is also expected to create jobs for young people and women in processing, packaging and marketing.

https://thecooperator.news/farmers-count-losses-as-heatwave-destroys-crops-in-zombo/

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