One of the Cassava gardens for a member under KOK Company. Photos by Eden Mic
By Eden Mic
Kitgum: Walter Alii grew up in a poor family and had to sell dry cassava chips to pay his school fees.
Cassava, a tuberous crop, is ranked as the second staple food in Uganda after green bananas, locally known as matooke. It grows all year round and is listed under the National Development Plan II (NDP II) as one of the 12 crops to fight hunger and create wealth as Uganda strives to achieve its vision of 2040.
The financial benefit Alii got from cassava as a child, made him leave his formal employment in the Office of the Prime Minister in 2010, to invest in cassava growing in Omiya Onyima Sub-County, Kitgum district.
Why cassava?
Farmers in Uganda struggle with several challenges such as pests and diseases, but more than all, prolonged drought due to climate change. Alii chose cassava as a mother enterprise because it is drought-resistant.
Cassava is grown by 74% of the population has a ready market at all levels and is convenient because it can be eaten in any form. It is documented as the main crop for poverty alleviation, increasing food and nutrition security because both leaves and tubers are eaten.
Growth of the business
Alii started his cassava business by planting 10 acres with support from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and Namulonge, who gave him Nase14 cassava cuttings worth shs4m and tasked him to multiply them.
In 2012, Alii registered the business under the name King of Kings Multi Investment and Consultancy Farm Limited (KOK).
In the same year, the company planted 200 acres of cassava, but like most young businesses, they lost most of their cassava tubers because of limited market and a lack of an agro-processing machine.
However, “we benefitted from selling the cassava cuttings,” Alii said.
A decade later, the company now uses Village-Agronomic Model Agents (VAMAs), where the village agronomists link farmers to disease-free, quality seeds, and tractors for opening land, and markets.
400 VAMAs are serving 2,000 cassava out growers spread across Kitgum and Lamwo districts. The out growers are organized in groups of 30 members for easy market access, but each member is expected to grow their cassava. Cassava cuttings can be purchased on loan and payment is made after the sale of the produce.
The outgrowers were introduced to the four-acre model in its early years, but have now upgraded to the 10-acre model, and each out grower is required to plant 10 acres of cassava. This means there are approximately 4,000 acres of cassava planted under the KOK business.
The company has 40 acres of cassava planted in 2022, which is ready for harvest, and an additional 40 acres planted in 2023 of varieties; Nase 14, Narokas 1, Nase 19, and Okonyo ladak, a local variety that is drought resistant and very tolerant to cassava brown streak.
In 2023, the company was given two tractors by the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAIIF), which is helping farmers open land.
Land opening is done at a subsidized rate of shs 100,000, but other tillage service providers charge either shs 110,000 or shs 120,000 per acre. Last year, KOK opened 1,760 acres for farmers in Kitgum.
This year, the company has already opened 840 acres of land for cassava growing out of the over 1,000 acres available. The proprietor estimates that the company will make shs250m.
Achievements
In June 2023, the company hosted the MTN Yellow Care Day, where they gave mattresses to the children’s ward at Kitgum Government Hospital.
During the event, KOK was chosen as the best company facilitating agribusiness in the area and was given laptops, desktops, and motorcycles. Among the gifts were a year of free internet bundles to the VAMAs to help them share farming and market information.
Feature Plan
KOK has acquired two acres of land in Kitgum municipality which will be used to set up an agro-processing machine. It is also seeking shs2.4b to finance the Agro Industry. If actualized, Alii believes that the factory will create over 400 direct and indirect jobs.
Plans are also underway to lobby for two additional tractors because of its high demand, as well as a truck to help in the collection and distribution of goods from outlets.
“Our farmers are benefitting less from the commodities they are producing because of transport costs,” Alii said.
This year, the company plans to train farmers in marketing skills, so that they get direct purchases from buyers from abroad. The majority of buyers in the sub-region are middlemen who have been accused of giving low offers to farmers for their produce and exploiting the farmers due to their ignorance of the market information.
“When we have a long list of actors in the market mix, it affects the better market. We are trying to equip our staff in market traceability and financial management skills so that they look for a market, and reduce the long list of middlemen in our trading,” he explained.
Statistics by the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) indicate that 68 percent of the population in Acholi is poor.
Alii now forms 74% and 34% of farmers growing cassava in Uganda and northern Uganda, respectively, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). He said the company intends to help in reducing the poverty level through farming since it employs a larger section of the population.
“Lamwo leads in growing simsim only has a per capita income of shs 304,000, and yet Lira that buys simsim from them gets close to Shs2m. How long will it take Lamwo to match up with Lira?” he asked.
Farmers excited over the enterprise
Joyce Akello, a cassava farmer, who is in one of the groups being supported by KOK, used to grow groundnuts and maize. However, five years ago, she abandoned those enterprises for cassava.
According to Akello, cassava is a more profitable crop because it is drought-resistant and will survive many hardships as long as it has germinated.
“The losses associated with cassava growing are not very high compared to other crops. If both groundnuts and cassava are hit by drought, the cassava will survive but the groundnuts won’t,” Akello said.
James Ojara, a farmer in Ocubulatara Village, Koch Parish, Labongo Amida Sub-County, joined the KOK initiative in 2023.
Ojara, who used to farm and sell individually, said he joined a group last year, and KOK taught them the benefits of being in a group such as strong bargaining power, and ease of accessing loans.
When Ojara was operating alone, he grew three acres of cassava but now wants to increase his acreage starting this year, after receiving more training from the company.
Gladys Lalam, a resident of Obem Village, Pamolo Parish, Layamo Sub-County, said she has been earning at least shs5m per acre after selling individually, but hopes to earn more now that she is in a group supported by the company.
“Being in a group is beneficial because of the training and ready market that comes it with,” Lalam said.
Alfred Omony, the Kitgum District Production Officer, commended KOK for its initiative and encouraged other individuals to emulate it.
“They are supporting us by supplying planting materials to farmers. It is good. We want such large-scale farmers to continue supporting our small-holder farmers,” Omony said.
