Farmers anticipate higher profits from cane juice production

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Sugarcane farmers in Busoga sub region are optimistic of reaping big from cane juice compared to selling their harvest as raw material.

Some of the farmers interviewed during a two day’s training program on cane juice production at Kamuli district headquarters on Friday, said sugar factories have resorted to paying them less because of the surplus cane in the region.

During the training, the farmers received training on both the manual and electronic machines. The juice making machines cost between Shillings 1.8 to 8 million.

Eva Namwase, a cane farmer Kaliro district, said that a part from under payment, factories take long to weigh their cane and at times reject it citing poor quality.

Robinah Nabiryo, a farmer from Buyende district, says through making cane juice, an acre of cane can produce Shillings 12 million compared to shillings 3.5 million they earn when they sell the cane in raw form to sugar mills.

Mubarak Tigatwala, a farmer from Kamuli district, says juice making will help farmers to add value to their products and attain more profits, while using a small piece of land, which he claims will save wetlands and forests in the region from extinction.

Jamiah Lukude, a cane farmer says the cane juice machines are costly for small holder farmers and wants government to provide them on loan to farmers.

Prof. William Kyamuhangiire, who is attached to Makerere university, said that when farmers headline production of value added products, factory owners will be forced to share with them profits earned from other sugarcane byproducts like ethanol, paper, among others.

The Speaker of parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, who presided over the training, said that she is coordinating with different parliamentarians to ensure proper legislation on cane value addition without hindrance from mill owners.

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