Farmers in the greater Kibaale area, covering Kagadi, Kakumiro, and Kibaale districts are counting losses after maize prices dropped sharply during the peak harvest season.
Many farmers said they had invested a lot of money, hoping for better profits, but the market prices let them down. They blamed the low prices on the high supply of maize, saying many people planted the crop after making good profits in the previous season.
Last season, a kilogramme of maize was sold between Shs900 and Shs1,000, but this season the price has fallen to between Shs500 and Shs700.
Farmers said the sharp drop has left them without profits, with only middlemen and casual workers benefiting.
Mr Dezii Katongore, a large-scale farmer in Kitonya Village, Bubango Sub-County in Kibaale District, said he spent more than Shs2m on pesticides, labour, and renting land to grow maize, expecting to earn more than Shs4m. He planned to harvest 90 sacks but only got 52 because of a long dry spell after planting.
“To my dismay, I sold at Shs750 per kilogramme instead of Shs1,000 as I had anticipated. Losses start even before the market stage. I had nowhere to store the maize. If I had kept it, it would have spoiled. I don’t know if I will farm maize again next season,” he said in an interview on September 8.
Similarly, Katangwe Birungi, a small-scale farmer from Kataara Village in Kibaale District, said he invested more than Shs1m in his four-acre maize farm at the start of the season.
He harvested 28 sacks, earning about Shs1.26 million instead of the more than Shs3 million he had expected. Mr Birungi said he was unable to raise enough money to pay school fees for his children. He now plans to switch to beans, saying their prices are more stable.
Mr Businge Byamukama, a resident of Kijungu Village in Kagadi District, shared a similar experience. He spent nearly Shs900,000 on labour and farm inputs for his two-acre maize garden but harvested only 27 sacks.
Mr Byamukama was forced to sell each kilogramme at Shs250, far below what he had hoped, earning just Shs1 million. He said from the little he earned, he had to clear a Shs300,000 loan, pay Shs200,000 in school fees, and settle hospital bills of Shs100,000.
What remained, he said, was hardly enough to take care of his family.
“I was forced to sell because I couldn’t afford storage. I am now planning to intercrop next season because relying on just one crop isn’t sustainable. I want to switch to beans,” he explained.
Mr Zimwanguhiiza Byaruhanga, a farmer from Kibaale District, said he invested about Shs800,000 in labour, pesticides, fertilisers, and seeds for his two-acre garden. He had expected at least 20 sacks but ended up with only 16.
“What we put in doesn’t match what we got out. We’ve been neglected, yet agriculture is a major contributor to the country’s economy. Why doesn’t the government set regulations to fix prices for farmers? We’re making losses on some of the money we invest, including bank and Sacco loans, and now we’re finding it hard to pay them back,” he said.
He said he had hoped to sell his maize at Shs1,000 per kilogramme, but the market only offered Shs500. Mr Byaruhanga accused middlemen of exploiting farmers by setting unfair prices during harvest time and urged government to step in and regulate the market. ‘
“Even after harvest, the middlemen manipulate measuring tapes to cheat us. But we have no choice—we must sell to support our families, pay loans, and school fees,” he said.
Source: Monitor
