By Lydia Labanya
The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) has launched a grain handling project intended to uplift Uganda’s rural communities to get higher economic returns from their grain produce.
DANIDA is an organisation from Denmark and it provides humanitarian aid and development assistance, with focus on developing countries.
The grain handling initiative is a collaborative effort between access2innovation, Danish partners, and Ugandan entities aiming to address significant challenges in Uganda’s agricultural sector.
The agricultural sector, a cornerstone of Uganda’s economy, often grapples with issues like market access limitations due to rigorous quality standards and a pressing need for financial and insurance solutions.
As Yango Azando of the East Africa DANIDA Partnership points out, the prevalent challenges also include access to essential farming capital, such as equipment and seeds.
“Market access is sometimes thwarted because of quality seeds. Moreover, the agricultural sector consistently faces hurdles in finance and insurance. Farmers often find themselves in dire need of working capital,”Azando explained.
Aimed at empowering farmers involved in grain farming, the project promises comprehensive support, including the supply and installation of post-harvest handling equipment financed by banks.
“This initiative offers a wide range of support measures like supply and installation of post-harvest cleaning, drying, whole grain milling, and seed cleaning equipment, all of which are financed by banks,”Azando said.
Farmers will also benefit from training in Good Agricultural Practices, enhanced financial literacy, and access to vital resources.
“Access to crucial inputs and finance will also be facilitated, ensuring that farmers have the resources they need to thrive,” Azando explained.
The project also commits to extending business development aid to farmers’ organisations, assuring access to both input and output markets, and assisting in financial procurement for seasonal requirements.
Humphrey Mutaasa of the Grain Council Uganda highlighted the scarcity of timely and high-quality data as a significant impediment to the sector’s growth.
“If I want to buy maize from Mubende, I don’t know how many farmers are growing it. Without clear data, I’m blindly sending trucks. Why does agriculture, employing many, get a small budget? Reliable data is essential for advocating more funds,” Mutaasa stated.
Reliable data would lead to informed decisions, ensuring optimal results in areas like planting, production, and exports.
“In this sector, partners seek some data that we don’t provide. They have funds and good intentions for our country, but require evidence and a trackable record. Sadly, we lack concrete data,” he said.
Mutaasa’s concerns resonate with those of many others in the sector, as this lack of information affects planning, investment and budget allocation.
Further challenges spotlighted include unregulated markets, distortions caused by unreliable seed systems, and the nation’s grain being rejected internationally due to aflatoxin contamination.
Project expected to improve grain quality
Henrik Anker-Ladefoged, the regional director for Access2innovation, expressed hope that the new programme would focus on improving grain quality by equipping farmers with on-site drying facilities to reduce aflatoxin occurrences.
“The storing and drying facilities established at Kakiri and now owned by Wekembe Cooperative Society, were informed by the inability of the farmers to supply clean grain,”Anker said.
The Danish government, through DANIDA, has teamed up with Ugandan and Danish organisations for this project. Recent quality concerns about Ugandan grain, especially maize, underscore the project’s significance.
“The project aims to spread facilities across the nation’s grain-producing regions. However, most farmers and co-operatives struggle with costs. Thus, DANIDA is partnering with financial institutions to link farmer co-operatives to lenders, while also offering training and market access,” Anker-Lagefoged explained.
With climate unpredictability posing another challenge to post-harvest handling, the Integrated Grain Handling Project’s solutions like grain cleaning, drying, and milling equipment installation, can potentially transform the sector.
The endeavour signifies a renewed focus on ensuring Ugandan agriculture achieves the standards required for both local consumption and exports.
