A GPS tractor mounted with a planter being loaded to plant canes. Photos by Arnest Tumwesige
By Arnest Tumwesige
Amuru – Atiak Sugar Factory is seeking additional funding to tap water from the River Nile for its irrigation system, aimed at boosting sugarcane production.
The factory’s technical team noted that sourcing water from the River Nile, instead of the initially planned River Unyama, would reduce costs by approximately UGX 168 billion, or 30% of the total UGX 562 billion project cost. Additionally, the Nile offers more reliable water flow during the dry season.
The plan involves laying an 11-kilometer water pipeline from the Nile at Elegu border point in Amuru District to the factory’s land, plus an additional 13 kilometers of pipelines within the farm itself. Currently, 85 kilometers of water pipes, 62 irrigation center pivots, and a pump have already been installed.
Ongoing work includes the excavation of a primary dam with a capacity of 1.5 billion liters, covering 40 acres, which will feed three more dams. With the integration of River Unyama into the system, ensure adequate water supply for irrigation during three-month dry periods.
If the government releases the requested funds, the irrigation system will be completed, and full-scale sugar production is expected by 2026. However, Director of Agriculture Bunty Seeruttun warned that if funding is delayed, the factory may have to rely on rainwater, postponing production to 2028.
Reducing Farm Size
The factory has already planted 600 hectares of sugarcane seeds for multiplication. Seeruttun anticipates that an additional 10,000 acres, supported by the irrigation scheme, will provide enough raw material to keep the factory operational for nine months annually.
Originally, the factory planned to utilize 60,000 acres for sugarcane production, including land in Lamwo District. However, this has been scaled back as a cost-saving measure. Lamwo is located 280 kilometers away, and the distance could only be reduced to 36 kilometers if the Unyama Bridge were constructed.
High-Tech Solutions
In collaboration with the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), Atiak Sugar Factory has embraced mechanization to improve efficiency, with 85% of work now being performed by machines.
High-tech machinery equipped with GPS handles ploughing, planting, fertilizing, harvesting, and loading. The center-pivot irrigation system, already installed, is designed to cover large flat areas. Each self-controlled pivot can irrigate 150 acres, using wheeled towers to move sprinklers in a circular pattern.
Atiak Sugar Factory, located in Atiak Sub-county, Amuru District, is owned by Horyal Investments Holding Company Limited. The Government of Uganda has invested about UGX 500 billion in the project through UDC. Although the factory was launched in October 2020, it was forced to close in April 2022 due to repeated fire outbreaks in the plantation.
