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Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Atiak Sugar Factory intends to gradually change to another sugarcane variety, more suited to irrigation and resistant to fires.
The old sugar cane variety was a mixture of two varieties, NCO-245 and 511, which were rain-fed and prone to fires. However, the new varieties, which are yet to be determined, will be irrigated, which will make them hydrated and resistant to fires.
Atiak Sugar plantation has suffered several fire outbreaks over the years that the company, in past media reports estimated to be worth 3 billion Shillings.
In the latest fire incident that occurred in December 2021, the factory lost an estimated 3,000 acres of sugarcane out of the 7,900 acres of sugarcane plantation.
Bunty Seeruttun, the Director of Agriculture at Horyal Investment Holding Company says they have taken time to revive the burnt sugarcane to a healthy stage for it to be turned into seed cane for the phase one development of the project. So far at least 350 hectares (864.8 acres) of burned sugarcane have been revived out of the 3,197 hectares (7,900 acres) of sugarcane plantation.
To increase high plant population and yield, the company intends to use planting methods that trigger both root and leaf growth hormones.
Bunty says the current variety was only planted manually at 1.3 single spacing because they were meant to be harvested manually. However, the plant spacing will be increased to 1.9 meters because they will be harvested mechanically.
The sugar plantation has also been affected by the effects of climate change. Normally the farm would receive an average of 1500-1800 milliliters of rainfall per year, however, this year, they have recovered about only half of what they normally receive, something the factory management realized would cause a poor return on investment.
Bunty says one of the goals of the factory is to maximize returns on investments, and are doing so by giving the sugarcane the right condition. He says over the years; the sugarcane has been burned sugarcane infested with weeds that have been pouring seeds into the field.
Bunty explains that with the controlled environment through irrigation and mechanization, the new varieties will suit these conditions and produce more sugar per hectare can produce a minimum of four ratoons, and are resistant to pests and diseases.
To mitigate the effects of climate change, the factory decided to invest in irrigation to reduce or mitigate the risks in terms of fires and yield, so that they are able to harvest during the dry season, as the crop cycle would reduce within a year instead of waiting for 16-18 months without irrigation. This will also ensure that the factory has a constant supply of sugarcane to feed the factory, as the factory targets to irrigate 4,000 hectares in phase one.
The factory has also invested in a hot-water treatment plant, where the new cane varieties will undergo a treatment process so that the source of seed is clean.
Sugar cane seed
Atiak Sugar Factory will turn about 7,900 acres of sugar cane plants into seed cane to multiply them, and institute measures to mitigate fire outbreaks.
The factory started commercial sugar production with sugarcane produced in Lamwo and Amuru in 2020, however, in 2022, the factory temporarily closed due to persistent fires that destroyed the sugarcane plantations.
Benson Ongom, the Director of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations at Atiak Sugar Factory says that since the sugar cane can be produced into sugar, they intend to replant it to get more sugarcane because a great area of the estate needs replanting.
To reduce fire incidences, the company has come up with measures to mitigate them, such as training and employing the local population.
The factory is working closely with Gulu and Makerere Universities to train the students to become part of the future employees of the factory, who will be in charge of operating the new firefighting machines that the factory invested in for the purpose of controlling fire outbreaks.
Another measure the factory intends to control fire is by creating a fire line of 50 by 50 meters in all blocks on the farm so that fire does not spread to other blocks in case it breaks out. Initially, the farm’s fire line was only 17 meters.
Ongom, says the factory will also engage with the community through all media to understand their perception of Atiak Sugar and the challenges they have faced with the factory in the past.
The factory has the capacity to crush 1,650 tons of raw sugarcane daily, producing 66,000 tons of sugar annually.
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