By KT Reporter
Cassava farmers in Nebbi district are abandoning their plantations citing low prices. The farmers say that the price has gone down from 1,200 Shillings per Kilo to 300 Shillings, prompting them to shift to other enterprises like Rice, Beans and Maize rather than cassava production which has become less profitable to them.
According to the farmers, the fall in the price is due to excess production which flooded the neighbouring markets in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Southern Sudan.
Francis Okumu, says that he secured a loan and planted over 10 acres of cassava but his effort is being frustrated with the low prices. Okumu says that it is becoming hard for farmers to recover all the costs incurred in production.
“We were mobilized three years back under ACDP by the Ministry of Agriculture for cassava production but we are surprised, we lacked a market for our cassava which should have been considered white gold by now,” Okumu said.
Leotisa Adongtho, another farmer says that she has failed to recover the money she invested in cassava production due to low price. Adongitho said, that last year she invested 300,000 Shillings on an acre of cassava plantation to earn 800,000 to pay school fees, but ended up getting 250,000 Shillings.
“We can’t realize profits in cassava growing anymore because the cost of cassava production is very high besides the low price for cassava in the market today which is so frustrating and this has made farmers abandon their cassava plantations and some cassava are getting rotten in the garden due to heavy rains”, Adongitho said.
The Production Officer Nebbi district Laverus Nyakuni attributed the low cassava price to the excess production of cassava by the beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) who took cassava production as their main enterprise to venture in. He adds that since cassava is hit by low prices in the market, farmers need to redesign another strategy to address the excess production of cassava or offload and plan for next year with other enterprises-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
