Farmers abandon cotton for better-paying crops

More than 300 cooperatives scattered across Lango Sub-region have collapsed after farmers decided to stop growing cotton, thus further affecting the buying, ginning and selling of the traditional cash crop.

In the past, cotton was considered second only to coffee in its ability to alleviate rural poverty in Uganda but many farmers have abandoned it following the emergence of soybeans and a new maize seed variety known as DK 777.

Cotton is Uganda’s third largest export crop after coffee and tea, according to the Cotton Development Organisation (CDO).

It is the main source of income for some 250,000 households, who cultivate cotton under rain-fed conditions and with minimal use of inputs such as fertilisers and chemicals.

Since the climate and the soil are very suitable for cotton cultivation, it is a very popular commodity among smallholders with an average farm size of 0.5 hectares.

But why are many farmers abandoning cotton growing?

Lack of incentives to farmers, low and unreliable pay, labour intensity and inadequate land due to increasing population have been listed as some of the key factors affecting cotton production in the area.

Competition from other better-paying crops such as sunflower, sesame, rice, maize, beans, soya, cassava and vegetables is another reason for low production of cotton in northern Uganda, according to Mr Daniel Omara Atubo, a former Lands minster, and Member of Parliament for Otuke County.

Mr Caesar Alaju, a farmer in Bala Sub-county, Kole District, says people lost interest in cotton because of price fluctuation.

Currently, a kilo of cotton is bought at between Shs1,800 and Shs2,000 down from Shs2,700 in October.

“During planting season, farmers enter into contract farming agreements with the buyers but after harvesting, the buyers drop the price. In fact, in my entire village, I have not heard of any farmer saying he is going to weed or pick his cotton,” he says.

Mr Jasper Okeng, a cotton buyer and a former CDO coordinator in Otuke District, says the price of cotton is unfavourable to the farmers.

“People spend a lot of money in production, especially on weeding and insecticides but after harvest, they sell their cotton cheaply. That alone has disorganised our farmers,” Mr Okeng says.

Mr Okeng, who is also the chairperson of Ogor Sub-county, says low and unreliable pay, and poor quality seeds that always result in poor yield further discourage farmers from growing cotton.

Mr Okeng says farmers in Ogur Sub-county refused to grow cotton last year out of frustration that they might get nothing from it.  He says a negligible number of farmers have planted the crop this year.

“Sometimes seeds are delivered late and when you plant them, they fail to germinate. Another issue is the low prices offered to the farmers. Last month, we started buying cotton at Shs2,700 a kilo but right now I am buying it at Shs2,000 but other buyers are offering only Shs1,800 per kilo,” Mr Okeng says.

Mr David Livingstone Okwir, a farmer in Akuki Village, Abella Parish, Aleka Sub-county in Oyam District, used to grow cotton on his more than four acres of land. He would inter-crop it with either maize or beans.

However, like many other smallholder farmers in the north, he uses traditional farming practices and tools, including hand hoes and axes for cultivation. Today, Mr Okwir has abandoned cotton for maize and soybeans.

Sadly, what farmers now consider to be better-paying crops have also failed to get them out of poverty.

Many of them can hardly afford two meals a day, purchase basic household items or pay children’s school fees.

“The public is amazed by the poor performance of the agricultural sector. The sector has always failed to aid farmers and cannot provide policy guidance to farmers,” says Mr Dan Okello, a political analyst.

Mr Joel Agabi, a model farmer at Agali Sub-county in Lira, agrees: “Government has left farmers to struggle on their own; they don’t make us enjoy good prices.”

The Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI), an organisation focused on enhancing business opportunities in the country, says the farmers’ concerns are genuine.

The organisation says over the past years, low domestic commodity prices have taken a toll on agricultural incomes and affected the livelihoods of thousands of people in the country.

Mr Deo Kibirige, the UNCCI Lira branch chairperson, says farmers often sell their produce cheaply because they have weak bargaining power.

Government position

President Museveni, while addressing leaders from the Acholi and Lango sub-regions at Baralegi State Lodge on June 11, blamed poverty in the country on poor enterprise selection.

“When the colonialists came here, they made our people grow the crops they wanted; cotton, tobacco, coffee, tea, and then our leaders just copied what the colonialists told them. They did not do cura (calculation),” he said.

“So, when I studied the issue, I could see danger. Number one was only working for the stomach. They [farmers] must work for the stomach and the pocket. But even the ones who are working for the pocket do so without cura,” the President said.

Mr Museveni also appealed to local leaders to encourage farmers to select better-paying enterprises.

“You should select enterprises which have got a big demand within Uganda, within Africa and internationally because we don’t want to tell our people to do this, they all rush there then you hear that the market is no longer there,” he said.

He reminded farmers about vanilla which had high prices but the people who were promoting it didn’t check the global demand of the high valued crop.

“So, when our people rushed there, production was big, the price collapsed.”

BY BILL OKETCH

More than 300 cooperatives scattered across Lango Sub-region have collapsed after farmers decided to stop growing cotton, thus further affecting the buying, ginning and selling of the traditional cash crop.

In the past, cotton was considered second only to coffee in its ability to alleviate rural poverty in Uganda but many farmers have abandoned it following the emergence of soybeans and a new maize seed variety known as DK 777.

Cotton is Uganda’s third largest export crop after coffee and tea, according to the Cotton Development Organisation (CDO).

It is the main source of income for some 250,000 households, who cultivate cotton under rain-fed conditions and with minimal use of inputs such as fertilisers and chemicals.

Since the climate and the soil are very suitable for cotton cultivation, it is a very popular commodity among smallholders with an average farm size of 0.5 hectares.

But why are many farmers abandoning cotton growing?

Lack of incentives to farmers, low and unreliable pay, labour intensity and inadequate land due to increasing population have been listed as some of the key factors affecting cotton production in the area.

Competition from other better-paying crops such as sunflower, sesame, rice, maize, beans, soya, cassava and vegetables is another reason for low production of cotton in northern Uganda, according to Mr Daniel Omara Atubo, a former Lands minster, and Member of Parliament for Otuke County.

Mr Caesar Alaju, a farmer in Bala Sub-county, Kole District, says people lost interest in cotton because of price fluctuation.

Currently, a kilo of cotton is bought at between Shs1,800 and Shs2,000 down from Shs2,700 in October.

“During planting season, farmers enter into contract farming agreements with the buyers but after harvesting, the buyers drop the price. In fact, in my entire village, I have not heard of any farmer saying he is going to weed or pick his cotton,” he says.

Mr Jasper Okeng, a cotton buyer and a former CDO coordinator in Otuke District, says the price of cotton is unfavourable to the farmers.

“People spend a lot of money in production, especially on weeding and insecticides but after harvest, they sell their cotton cheaply. That alone has disorganised our farmers,” Mr Okeng says.

Mr Okeng, who is also the chairperson of Ogor Sub-county, says low and unreliable pay, and poor quality seeds that always result in poor yield further discourage farmers from growing cotton.

Mr Okeng says farmers in Ogur Sub-county refused to grow cotton last year out of frustration that they might get nothing from it.  He says a negligible number of farmers have planted the crop this year.

“Sometimes seeds are delivered late and when you plant them, they fail to germinate. Another issue is the low prices offered to the farmers. Last month, we started buying cotton at Shs2,700 a kilo but right now I am buying it at Shs2,000 but other buyers are offering only Shs1,800 per kilo,” Mr Okeng says.

Mr David Livingstone Okwir, a farmer in Akuki Village, Abella Parish, Aleka Sub-county in Oyam District, used to grow cotton on his more than four acres of land. He would inter-crop it with either maize or beans.

However, like many other smallholder farmers in the north, he uses traditional farming practices and tools, including hand hoes and axes for cultivation. Today, Mr Okwir has abandoned cotton for maize and soybeans.

Sadly, what farmers now consider to be better-paying crops have also failed to get them out of poverty.

Many of them can hardly afford two meals a day, purchase basic household items or pay children’s school fees.

“The public is amazed by the poor performance of the agricultural sector. The sector has always failed to aid farmers and cannot provide policy guidance to farmers,” says Mr Dan Okello, a political analyst.

Mr Joel Agabi, a model farmer at Agali Sub-county in Lira, agrees: “Government has left farmers to struggle on their own; they don’t make us enjoy good prices.”

The Uganda National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UNCCI), an organisation focused on enhancing business opportunities in the country, says the farmers’ concerns are genuine.

The organisation says over the past years, low domestic commodity prices have taken a toll on agricultural incomes and affected the livelihoods of thousands of people in the country.

Mr Deo Kibirige, the UNCCI Lira branch chairperson, says farmers often sell their produce cheaply because they have weak bargaining power.

Government position

President Museveni, while addressing leaders from the Acholi and Lango sub-regions at Baralegi State Lodge on June 11, blamed poverty in the country on poor enterprise selection.

“When the colonialists came here, they made our people grow the crops they wanted; cotton, tobacco, coffee, tea, and then our leaders just copied what the colonialists told them. They did not do cura (calculation),” he said.

“So, when I studied the issue, I could see danger. Number one was only working for the stomach. They [farmers] must work for the stomach and the pocket. But even the ones who are working for the pocket do so without cura,” the President said.

Mr Museveni also appealed to local leaders to encourage farmers to select better-paying enterprises.

“You should select enterprises which have got a big demand within Uganda, within Africa and internationally because we don’t want to tell our people to do this, they all rush there then you hear that the market is no longer there,” he said.

He reminded farmers about vanilla which had high prices but the people who were promoting it didn’t check the global demand for the high-valued crop.

“So, when our people rushed there, production was big, and the price collapsed.”

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