Farmers decry theft of oil palm fruits

A section of oil palm farmers in Kalangala District have raised concern over the theft of freshly harvested bunches of fruit.

The farmers said the theft is orchestrated by gangs of thieves travelling on motorcycles and in saloon cars. The thieves have reportedly stolen more than 5,000 tonnes of fruits in the last three weeks.

The most affected areas are Mugoye Sub-county and Kalangala Town Council on Buggala Island.

Mr Jonah Ayesiga, a farmaer, said when they harvest the fresh fruit, they normally leave them in the gardens as they wait for the trucks to transport them to the processing plants.

He said the wait for the trucks can sometimes take more than two days, which the thieves take advantage of to steal the fruits.

 He added that they have resorted to staying awake at night to protect their gardens.

 “I lost 100kgs of fruits when the thieves invaded my garden,” he said in an interview on Wednesday.

The farmers also allege that the thieves collaborate with some of their colleagues.

Mr Alex Paul Nuwagaba, a farmer based in Kalangala Town Council said: “We have information that the thieves could be collaborating with some of the farmers that provide ready markets for the stolen fruits at a cheaper price. The district security team and police should help us investigate the problem.”

The farmers now want the companies which send the trucks to collect the fruits to change the pick-up schedule to curb the issue.

They say this will also ensure that the fruits do not overstay in the gardens.

 “The fresh fruit bunches lose weight when they overstay at the gardens waiting for the collection trucks,” Mr Arone Kataayi, a farmer in Kalangala Town Council, said.

Mr David Balironda, the managing director of Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Trust (KOPGT), blamed the delay in picking up the fruits on a shortage of trucks.

 “We have only 56 trucks assigned to pick the fresh fruits from the different farmers. We have 321 farmers who are supposed to be served in a single day. This causes the delays,” he said.

“The management at KOPGT is aware of the theft of bunches of fresh fruit from farmers. We are tracking the cases. We already have five cases in courts of law,” Mr Balironda said.

“We track each harvest per acre of plantation. When one has an increase in kilogrammes, we have to question how the harvest increased and most thieves have been arrested using that tactic,” he said.

Ms Eva Kwesiga, the Kalanga resident district commissioner, said she is aware of the issue but warned them against taking the law in their hands.

 “Moving with pangas as you guard your gardens is a delicate issue which could result in the escalation of insecurity. The farmers should not get involved in mob [action]. We are finding means of intervening,” she said

A kilogramme of fresh palm oil fruit costs Shs795.

Background

During a visit to Kalangala District in 2023, President Museveni promised to give the farmers nine trucks. The farmers say the trucks are yet to be delivered.a