A recent examination of sugarcane farming in Busoga Sub-region has highlighted its limited impact on poverty alleviation, with experts suggesting that the majority of the local population remains impoverished despite decades of engagement in sugarcane cultivation.
According to experts, sugarcane has primarily benefited large-scale farmers, while the majority of the locals own less than three acres of land. Figures from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos) in 2020 indicated that approximately 1.2 million individuals in Busoga live in poverty, with 0.4 million facing food scarcity.
Prof Frank Nabwiso, a former MP for Kagoma, pointed out that the low cost of sugarcane (Shs220 per tonne) has not significantly improved the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, as they must sell substantial quantities of sugarcane to meet even basic needs. He noted that the labor-intensive nature of sugarcane farming and the long waiting period for profits have further contributed to the persistence of poverty in the region.
Historically, sugarcane farming in Busoga began in 1928 when large land parcels were allocated to the Muljibhai Madhvani Group of Companies for sugarcane cultivation under the Imperial British Crown Land.
Mr. Fred Muhumuza, the director of Makerere University Business School Economic Forum, stressed that sugarcane has primarily favored the minority engaged in large-scale farming and cannot be a solution for the majority of people with limited land access. He urged the residents of Busoga to consider income-generating ventures that provide higher output per acre, such as onion and carrot farming, poultry, and livestock.
Ms. Florence Mutyabule, the senior presidential adviser on poverty alleviation in Busoga, emphasized that sugarcane farming cannot lift ordinary individuals out of poverty. She called for a shift away from a singular focus on perennial crop cultivation and encouraged the formation of cooperatives to enhance the bargaining power of local producers.
Former Agriculture minister Victoria Ssekitoleko, who previously represented the Food and Agriculture Organization in various countries, suggested that farmers should participate in government projects in Busoga, including the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga, to improve their economic prospects.
While some individuals, like Mr. Godfrey Naitema, a farmer, have praised sugarcane farming for providing economic opportunities and resilience to drought, the overall consensus from experts and stakeholders is that a more diversified approach to agriculture is needed to address poverty effectively in the Busoga Sub-region.
