Sugarcane farmers want to belong to the Ministry of Agriculture, but the law placed them under the Ministry of Trade which makes them miss on services such as agricultural loans and Naads services.

Sugarcane farmers attending a meeting in Jinja were startled when two ministers from different ministries told them they belonged to both ministries.

The State Minister for Agriculture Henry Bagiire and Trade Minister, Nelson Gagawala Wambuzi assured the farmers that they were working towards in their various ministries to bring about a new regime that would benefit them.

The Ministry of Agriculture says since growers are growing a sugarcane crop, they automatically fall under their docket, while the Trade Ministry says otherwise.

The outburst followed Mr Cyprian Batala, the Assistant Commissioner, Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry blaming farmers for using the Ministry of Agriculture as a middleman in their campaign to have a sugar policy. But also, the Ministry of Trade is drafting a sugar policy, which would be tabled soon before Cabinet.

The commissioner, however, complained, "The problem is that you are using the Ministry of Agriculture as middleman in your struggle to have a sugar policy. You should know that each ministry has its own means of doing things," Mr Batala said while addressing farmers who attended the National Sugarcane growers' conference held in Jinja.

His statement took the participants by surprise, forcing them to ask government to come out with a clear statement indicating where they belong.

"We are tired of being tossed around. We should stay in this room until the government comes out with a clear statement showing us where we belong," Mr Sam Byakagaba, a farmer from Masindi said.

The situation was later calmed at the end of the day by the Agriculture State Ministry Henry Bagiire who re-assured farmers that they belonged to his ministry. "You are farmers and belong to the Ministry of Agriculture. You should not even be shy. Anything to do with farming is handled by my ministry," Bagiire said.

He added: "As out growers, there is no way you can be taken in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. What industry do you have? Is it because you are doing trade? You are farmers growing a cane crop and anything concerning crops it is the Ministry Agriculture," the minister said.

According to Mr John Muwanga, who represented the commissioner of crop production and marketing, the problem of placing the cane growers in the Ministry of Trade was a historical colonial anomaly, which needs to be addressed.

Sugarcane growing started with millers and when they were recognising the sector, they considered the interests of the factory, he said.

Moris Ngabitho, the executive director of Uganda National Association of Sugarcane Growers (Unasgo) says, though growers provide almost over Shs217bn to the country's GPD annually, are tossed around the ministries which has led to their missing out on getting agricultural loans and assistance from the National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads). They say this has also contributed to the absence of sugarcane research.

According to the Unasgo statistics, the sugarcane sector provides employment to over 20,000 out-growers directly, and over 50,000 persons indirectly. However, the numbers doesn't include those employed by millers both directly or indirectly.

Farmers say lacking an authoritarian body to oversee their activities is totally unfair since other major strategic cash crops like tea, coffee; cotton and dairy among others have regulatory bodies.

Ngabitho says since they lack a governing body, there is no uniform price for sugarcanes, and millers pay farmers differently depending on the region.

Farmers in Lugazi are paid Shs24,000 per tonne while those in Kakira and Kinyara get Shs38,000 and Shs32,600 respectively per tonne, which makes Ugandan out-growers the least paid in the region compared to get only 35 per cent of the sugar value compared to 55 and 52 per cent received by their counterparts in Tanzania and Kenya respectively.

Moreover, while officiating at the opening of the conference, Mr Wambuzi, who tried to win the farmers hearts, said his ministry has embarked on drafting sugar policy to solve all their grievances.

He however said the process was challenged by the multiplicity of stakeholders with divergent interests that cannot easily be harmonised.

Mr Wambuzi told farmers that cane prices are so low because canes are row products which attract low prices world over. So, for a farmer to realise substantial returns there is need to have increased acreage and negotiation, he said. But Mr Bagiire concurred with farmers that the prices are so low.

As you know, government relieved itself from responsibilities of setting up prices. But going by Shs40,000 Madhvani pays per tonne as a factory gate price you realise that farmers sale their cane at Shs40. Of course if you deduct transport, cutting, loading costs and any other problems, it shows that farmers were selling they can eat less that Shs20 per kilogramme, Bagiire said.

Since sugarcane growing was introduced in Uganda, sugarcane growers have been under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This is so because cane growing was started by a miller, Mehta Group in 1930's with a view of feeding his industry then called Uganda Sugar factory. Mehta was joined by Madhvani Group six years later, followed by Kinyara Sugar works in 1966.

The sector flourished under Asians until it collapsed during Idi Amin Dada's economic war in 1971-1972 when he expelled all Asians.

With the resurrection of the sector in the late 1980's, millers' plantations had turned into bushes. This brought about sugarcane out-growers who are currently contributing 46 per cent of the total cane milled in Uganda.

However, there has been no policy shift to align sugarcane farmers with the Ministry of Agriculture from Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry. But for years now, farmers have been greatly opposed to the move, saying they wish to belong to the Ministry of Agriculture.