AGRICULTURE : Busoga farmers urged to shift from sugarcane to cocoa.
Officials from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) are holding┬аconsultative meetings with leaders in Busoga to identify practical solutions for reducing poverty and improving household incomes.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) Sub-Regional Wealth Analysis Report 2022, Busoga ranks as the eighth poorest sub-region in Uganda, ahead of only Bukedi and Karamoja, which rank ninth and tenth, respectively.
The findings prompted STIтАЩs Productivity Acceleration Bureau (PAB) to explore ways of supporting communities to transition from subsistence livelihoods to a more productive and sustainable money economy.
As part of the initiative, PAB established a Busoga Sub-Regional Think Tank comprising youth leaders, religious leaders, scholars, researchers, farmers, cultural leaders, members of the business community, and representatives of persons with disabilities.
The team was tasked with identifying transformative economic opportunities capable of reducing poverty in the region. Members of the think tank noted that Busoga is home to an estimated 4.4 million people, about 80 percent of whom live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
The consultations revealed that approximately two out of every three people in the sub-region are directly or indirectly involved in sugarcane farming. However, experts argue that the crop generates relatively low returns, particularly for smallholder farmers.
Data presented during the meetings showed that farmers earn an average profit of over 461000 shillings for every one million shillings invested in sugarcane production after a period of 14 to 18 months.
In comparison, cocoa farmers can earn up to 17.7 million shillings from irrigated farms and 12.17 million shillings from rain-fed cocoa plantations for a similar level of investment. The analysis further indicated that establishing a standard sugarcane garden requires an investment of approximately 5.3 million shillings, while the first harvest typically generates only about 3.9 million shillings, resulting in a deficit of 1.4 million shillings.