The Government of Uganda has finalized plans to construct a 135
billion Shillings sugar processing factory in Luuka district.
Uganda Development Cooperation - UDC will supervise the implementation of the construction works through direct
financing from the Ministry of Finance.
The plant whose construction works are expected to be
commissioned mid next year will be in fulfillment of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s
campaign pledge to construct two farmer owned sugar processing plants in Busoga aimed at
reducing the challenge of excess sugarcane within Busoga sub region.
Speaking to political leaders and farmers at the Jinja based Civil service college on Saturday, National
Planning Authority’s -NPA executive director, Joseph Muvawala said that
feasibility studies were conducted to ascertain the direct profitability of a farmer
owned sugarcane processing plant over those manned by private individuals.
Muvawala says that, unlike the private sugarcane plants, which
own plantations and prioritize their own cane over other players within the
industry, the government constructed plant will only manage nucleus research
farms and purchase all their sugarcane in raw material format directly from
farmers.
He said both structural designs and the land
where the plant is meant to be constructed are already available, only awaiting
government financing. Muvawala further argues that, several licenses were issued out to
private developers who had presented plans of investing in the sugar industry
however, to date, their plants are yet to be constructed which has left farmers
to grapple with the challenge of excess cane.
//cue in: “ekikulu kili’nti…
Cue out…nga abasoga.”//
The first deputy prime minister, Rebecca Kadaga says that
government should also construct incubator projects in the 11 districts of
Busoga aimed at fostering the processing of surplus cane into smaller products
like juice, paper bags, syrups, among other items.
//Cue in: “myaka musanvu…
Cue out…mu’Busoga.”//
The finance minister, Matia Kasaija tasked leaders within
Busoga sub region to embrace the project and avoid grappling amongst themselves
arguing that, such tendencies will threaten to slow down construction works.
//Cue in: “that factory, we…
Cue out…be a supplementary.”//
Busoga is home to five major sugarcane processing plants
namely; Kakira sugar works, Mayuge sugar industries limited, Bugiri sugar,
Kaliro sugar and Kamuli sugar, among other four minimum capacity sugarcane
processing plants however, farmers still grapple with the challenge of excess
cane.
