By Priscillar Nyamahunge
For the eighth year running, Vision Group, together with the Embassy of the Netherlands, KLM Airlines, dfcu Bank and Koudjis Animal Nutrition, is running the Best Farmers’ competition.
The 2023 competition runs from March to November, with the awards in December. Every week, Vision Group platforms will publish profiles of the farmers. Winners will walk away with sh150m and a fully paid-for trip to the Netherlands.
Geoffrey Kagoro was in Primary Seven when a sudden urge to become an independent commercial farmer and investor popped up in his mind.
“I was travelling from Kampala and I saw a billboard with a good-looking young man posing with good assets; and there was a caption: Retired at 40,” Kagoro says.
“Since then, I planned that I would retire at 45 in case I became a civil servant,” the 47-year-old added.
Born to Teddy and Jos Wamara of Ntooma village, Bwijanga sub[1]county, Kagoro attended Masindi Public School for primary, Kabalega SS (Masindi) and St. Leo’s Kyegobe in Fort Portal for his O’ and A’level respectively, before joining Uganda College of Commerce (UCC), Aduku in 1996, where he pursued a higher diploma in marketing.
He would later pursue a Bachelor of Commerce in 2000, a post-graduate diploma in project planning and management in 2006 and, later, a Master of Business Administration, all at Makerere University.
Kagoro, who previously worked with Stanbic, Barclays and Equity banks, decided to venture into commercial farming in 2016.
He is the proprietor of JOWATE plants and nursery and JOWATE mixed farm, all located in Ntooma, about 40km out of Masindi town.
“I used to practice subsistence farming, but I thought it would be better to go commercial. I had saved about sh50m and I started with horticulture and fish farming. Unfortunately, getting market, especially for tomatoes, was hard, yet they were perishing. I also reduced on the level of fish farming, too,” Kagoro says.
The farm has 21 ponds and the main species that are reared are tilapia and catfish.
Married to Agnes, the couple has four children — the oldest completed university this year and the youngest is in Primary Two.
“My son has been pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Economics and he is the one in charge of finances at the farm,” Kagoro says.
He says he got in touch with Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) in the second season of 2016, which eventually led to the genesis of coffee seedling multiplication in 2017.
“In 2018, I visited Kenya because someone had got me interested in Macadamia. I later made a visit to Kyenjojo district at the Royal Plants farm and bought seedlings for about two acres; unfortunately, the yield was poor,” he says.
Kagoro realised it was expensive to keep buying seedlings of Macadamia and decided to venture into its multiplication, before adding on Hass avocado in 2019.
“Right now, JOWATE is majorly known for Macadamia, Hass avocado and clonal coffee. We have vans, motorcycles and trucks for delivery. Therefore, we have built a base of customers as far as the northern Uganda, West Nile, the west and central parts of the country. In Bunyoro, however, we have a small client base,” he says.
Plans
“My ultimate goal is to invest in agro-tourism. I would like to build cottages, set up gardens and make a recreation centre. I will set up a mini-hotel, with all the necessary facilities for visitors to feel comfortable.”
Kagoro says he has started making money from farm visits, but adds that the community needs to be actively involved.
“Maybe some have not yet appreciated that farming has many returns or maybe they are thinking of traditional crops, such as maize, beans and potatoes, yet we should now be looking at the bigger picture. As long as people have not yet appreciated this business, we shall remain behind,” he says.
“I also plan to set up an institute to skill workers, such that people can always pick from there, instead of targeting mine at the farm. We take time to train them, but some people are always targeting them,” he says.
Costs
Kagoro says most clients buy coffee seedlings and that helps them to keep afloat. Each seedling of clonal coffee goes for sh1,500 while that of elite goes for sh500.
Meanwhile, a tree seedling for Macadamia goes for sh10,000 while that of a Hass avocado goes for sh7,000.
“Monthly returns are not certain and they vary from season to season. However, every month, I spend sh6m on farm operations, sh6m on salaries and wages and sh200,000 on accommodation hire for them (workers).”
Technology
“We have been irrigating with pumps since 2016. However, we have now procured a solar system going for about sh45m, including the tanks, piping, and installation.”
Market
“I have done a lot of marketing using social media and social capital. Most recently, I also did some radio programmes. Most of the people who buy the seedlings are not from Masindi,” Kagoro says.
Appeal
Kagoro says his wish is to see the community actively involved in commercial agriculture.
“This community is dominant with sugarcane farmers, but it would be good if people engaged in other money-making ventures, such as seedling multiplication as they wait to reap from cane returns,” he says.
He plans to sponsor a study trip for about 20 farmers from the community to go to Kenya and learn about avocado and Macadamia growing.
“On return, I will give seedlings to all those who have never bought from me such that they can go and try it out,” he says.
Challenges
Financial constraints are a challenge, which Kagoro says limits them from carrying out different activities, such as training for the local community.
“We have a challenge of getting people to buy into the vision of this project. Some are not patient and want quick returns,” he says.
He says the market base is also not certain hence the need to do vigorous marketing on different platforms.
What others say
Sharon Atworo
We usually guide clients on what needs to be done when planting seedlings. I have been working at JOWATE for a month now, but my skills are getting better because I am practising what I learned from school. However, I am also learning from experienced people. ALBERT
Tumusiime, son of Kagoro
I ensure that I do daily monitoring of the farm operations, especially when my dad is not around because some workers tend to be reluctant when left alone and effectiveness may not be realised.
John Basanya, Manager JOWATE farm
I call upon government to come up with policies and programmes that are favourable to farmers. Some farmers acquire loans to add inputs to their farms after getting assurance that the Government will buy their products. Unfortunately, some of those programmes are never implemented fully and some farmers miss out.
