KAMPALA – The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) has boosted Atiak Sugar project with Shs52b to facilitate sugar cane production as part of the vision to develop and support commercial agriculture and industrialisation in the country.
This was revealed on Wednesday, April 29, by the Agriculture minister, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja. He said the fund covers all the steps of sugar plantation development including bush clearance, land preparation, seedlings planting and weeding of the crop.
“This will help our efforts to create more jobs for Ugandans through agriculture as well as boosting exports”. The Minister said. “The demand for Sugar is increasing here in Uganda and even within our neighbors. We are soon starting to export Sugar to Tanzania. That’s why we have to produce sugar in plenty,” He added.
The Minister had accompanied Hon. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister for Health ,at the factory base in Gem village, Pacilo parish, Atiak sub-county in Amuru District to guide the management of the factory on how best to prevent covid-19.
The factory employs thousands of workers and the beneficiaries are war returnees, vulnerable women, demobilised ex-combatants, household persons with nodding syndrome and all the chiefdoms of Acholi.
The factory outgrowers comprise of 13,400 households. Each household will get a maximum of five acres and a minimum of three acres. A household with five acres shall make a profit of Shs18m per harvest and a household with 3 acres will make a profit of Shs10.8m with the first crop.
