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Acholibur cassava processing factory project seeks Shs42 billion to start
This photo taken on November 13, 2023 shows that abandoned piece of land that was donated by the community for the establishment of the cassava processing factory in Acholibur town council, Pader District. PHOTO/JESUS OKELLO OJARA
What you need to know:
- In 2017, Gulu Archdiocese initiated a farmers’ association in Acholibur, Pader District with over 5,000 members to grow over 10,000 acres of cassava and the president was later invited to launch the cassava commercialization project.
The construction of a multibillion cassava processing factory project in Acholibur town council, Pader District remains uncertain for seven years after government of Uganda through the Uganda Development Corporation, UDC failed to raise the required Shs60 billion to establish it.
In an interview with Monitor, Mr Denis Okoria, the head of Public Relations at UDC revealed that the Corporation has managed to raise a small amount of money that could not start the process of works to establish the factory.
Mr Okoria further disclosed that UDC is seeking an additional Shs42 billion in order to begin construction of the proposed cassava factory and also waiting court ruling on the land donated to UDC for setting up the factory.
“We need Shs60 billion for the work but so far we have raised only Shs18 billion leaving us with a shortfall of Shs42 billion to begin the work,” Mr Okoria said.
Mr Okoria further explained to Monitor that, “without land we cannot start, we are waiting for the court process to be completed then we start.”
In 2018, the government of Uganda through NAADS signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Gulu Archdiocese and eight district local governments to promote the commercialization of cassava in the north and the MoU was intended to provide a framework for the implementation of the cassava commercialization project.
According to Mr Okoria, a team from UDC and other private sectors have been able to do feasibility studies on the land which was donated by the community for the establishment of the factory.
Since 2018, NAADS has been supporting farmers mobilized by the Archdiocese of Gulu with cassava planting materials under the cassava commercialization initiative.
In 2017, Gulu Archdiocese initiated a farmers’ association in Acholibur, Pader District with over 5,000 members to grow over 10,000 acres of cassava and the president was later invited to launch the cassava commercialization project.
Monitor learnt that on January 19, 2019, President Yoweri Museveni pledged to build a starch factory in Pader district to support the commercialization of cassava growing in Northern Uganda.
“The land that had been offered by the community had conflicts which are being handled by the court. We are waiting for the issue to be concluded then we start,” Mr Okoria noted.
This publication has also learnt that since receiving a land donation to establish the factory, to date there is no visible factory on the said land and no sign of work being done.
During the official opening of the Regional parliamentary sitting in Gulu City on Thursday, 29th August 2024, President Yoweri Museveni queried the functionality of the starch factory and committed to have a meeting with the church on the progress.
According to Mr Museveni, cassava growth and production should be widely promoted in Northern Uganda and Teso sub regions, adding that, “the production of cassava is very big in Northern Uganda but the problem has been how it should be processed.”
However, Mr Museveni further questioned the functionality of the starch factory that the government pledged to establish in Acholibur town council, Pader district during the launch of the cassava commercialization project in 2020.
“Father, what happened to our factory that was to be set up in Acholibur? Is UDC slow in implementing the project? I need to have a meeting with the Archbishop Odama to discuss the fate of the project,” Mr Museveni said.
Archbishop Emeritus Odama attends parliamentary sitting in Gulu City on August 29, 2024. Photo/Jesus Okello Ojara
In his response to Mr Museveni, Rev. Fr Mathew Okun Lagoro, the Cassava Commercialization Project Manager at the Archdiocese said the project has encountered challenges.
“Yes, Mr President, we are moving on well but there are other few issues that we need to resolve as we wait for UDC to expedite the process of establishing the starch factory,” Rev. Fr. Lagoro said.
In an interview with Monitor early this year, Mr Ventorino Okumu, the Cassava Commercialization Project Officer at the Archdiocese said they are focusing on demand driven priority to support farmers due to limited funding.
“We have over 10,000 farmers and we have advised them to inter-crop their cassava plantation with other crops like maize, beans and soya beans and others which cannot destroy the cassava in turn helping in food security,” Mr Okumu said.
Mr Okumu said that the challenging part of the project is market for the matured fresh cassava which have been planted by the farmers under the project.
“There is no market for fresh cassava; we are still lobbying for a cassava dryer machine to help our farmers because we have a market for dried cassava at Bukona factory. We want our people to get out of poverty,” Mr Okumu said.
Mr Saidu Opoka Adolatona, the Pader District Agricultural Officer told Monitor that the project is strictly under Gulu Archdiocese and Pader District is only a partner in the project and they do not interfere with the operations of the project.
“We are aware about the feasibility study that was done on the said proposed project site but up to now, as the district, we are not seeing any development because we are not directly in-charge but the church,” Mr Opoka said.
