Last weekend, during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of SCOUL in Buikwe, President Museveni urged sugar investors to cultivate their own cane, citing the unreliability of outgrowers.
Sugar farmers in the Greater Mukono district are unhappy with President Kaguta Museveni's remarks encouraging investor Mehta to grow his own sugar canes instead of relying on outgrowers, who may not be able to support the millers.
Last weekend, during the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL) in Buikwe, President Museveni urged sugar investors to cultivate their own cane, citing the unreliability of outgrowers.
Simon Sentongo, a well-known cane grower in Lugazi Municipality, expressed his disappointment, stating that the President seems to have forgotten the common man for whom he once fought.
Sentongo fears that if Mehta follows this advice, many farmers will be pushed out of the sugar cane business, jeopardizing the livelihoods of locals who depend on cane farming.
"The locals used to rely on the lake, but when the fishing declined, many turned to sugar cane farming. Now, where are we supposed to sell our cane?" Sentongo lamented.
Sentongo is fearing for the worst for the outgrowers because of Museveni's remarksSali Bazitya, chairperson of the Nkokonjeru Town Council, pointed out the lack of available land in Buikwe for Mehta to grow canes to sustain his factory.
He suggested that growers and investors should collaborate to resolve ongoing challenges, such as the declining prices of sugar canes.
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"We fear this could lead to the loss of Mabira Forest and other central reserves in the district to the investor, as there is no available land on plots," Mr. Sali said.
Christopher Seruyange, the area councillor for Ngogwe Sub County, noted that Mehta had previously convinced locals to engage in sugar cane cultivation, leading them to abandon other crops. Now, they are filled with anxiety about their future.
Julius Katerevu, chairman of sugar cane growers in Greater Mukono, criticized the government's failure to enact the Sugar Cane Act, which would protect millers from growing their own sugar cane.
"In countries like Tanzania, Madagascar, and India, sugar cane farming is reserved for locals, while millers purchase from local farmers to produce sugar and other products," Katerevu explained.
He emphasized that the president's statement should serve as a wake-up call for all sugar cane outgrowers in the region, urging them to establish their own sugar mills through cooperatives, as they have the necessary numbers to do so.
"We have a plan B. As growers, we will mobilize our numbers to establish our sugar mill rather than be exploited by foreign investors," Katerevu noted.
Currently, in the districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Buikwe, and Buvuma, over 5,000 sugar cane growers depend on Mehta, who contributes 30 percent of the cane to SCOUL, with 80 percent sourced from his expansive sugar cane fields.
