Sugar Cane Growers Unite to Address Price Variations and Challenges

Sugar cane growers from the Bunyoro and Toro sub regions have established the Bunyoro Toro Sugar Cane Growers Association (BUTOS) to address the challenges facing the sugar cane industry. The association attributes the main challenge to price variations of sugar cane by different sugar cane companies, with some companies paying as low as shs 90,000 per ton while others pay up to shs 160,000. The growers are hoping that a combined effort will lead to uniform prices and address other factors affecting productivity and profitability.

Key Takeaways:

The Bunyoro Toro Sugar Cane Growers Association (BUTOS) was established to address the challenges facing the sugar cane industry in the Bunyoro and Toro sub regions.
The main challenge facing sugar cane growers is price variations of sugar cane by different sugar cane companies, with some companies paying as low as shs 90,000 per ton while others pay up to shs 160,000.
The association aims to address other factors affecting productivity and profitability of sugar cane business, including failure by different sugar cane millers associations to have a combined effort to push for the same interest and needs.
The variation in prices has made some farmers to quit sugar cane growing to other crops, with some farmers experiencing this challenge for over two years.
The new BUTOS association comprises eleven committees, including a regional committee led by Patrick Byamukama and a national representative at the national level, Robert Atugonza.
The regional committee is required by the ministry to have a representative to sit on the Uganda sugar board in the national council.
The newly elected committees are urged to ensure better leadership for the betterment of both the farmers and sugar cane millers.
Robert Atugonza calls for a joint venture effort amongst different committees to address challenges facing sugar cane farmers in the region.

Statistics:

Eleven committees are part of the new BUTOS association, including a regional committee and a national representative.
The regional committee is led by Patrick Byamukama, with Musa Batinire Barwane as deputy, and Ernest Shukuran as secretary.
There are 40% increase in prices of sugarcane from companies, as reported by Max Francis Isingoma, chairperson Hoima Cane Grower Association (HOCAGA).
Different sugar cane companies pay varying prices per ton, with Bwendero sugar buying at shs 160,000, Kinyara, Kiryandongo and Hoima sugar at shs 128,000, while Kyenjojo sugar buys at shs 90,000.

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