By Joshua Kato
Across the hills of Mubende, Kakumiro, Kagadi and parts of Kiboga — areas famous for producing maize — there are no more smiles, because the price of maize has, in the last two months, dropped to as low as sh400.
“At the amount, you cannot even recover half of your investment,” Samuel Akanga, a farmer in Madudu, near Mubende town, says.
Farmers claim they are being ‘frustrated’ by middlemen, who are buying maize at the lowest prices.
“Our solution should be in learning how to turn the maize into flour and then store it until prices stabilise,” Akanga suggests.
A kilogramme of fine flour costs sh2,000 in Kampala, and sh1,500 in Mubende. Six months ago, it cost sh2,500 in Mubende and sh3,000 in Kampala.
About 200km away, in Mende, Wakiso district, sits an innovation that farmers like Akanga wish they had. It is a community maize mill set up partly with support from the Government.
“We call it a miracle because it has saved us the odious task of carrying our maize grain to as far as Nansana, 20km away,” Fred Masaba, a farmer notes.
He practises farming at Bakka, about 3km from the mill.
“I grow maize every season, but as farmers, we were making losses because we could not add value to it,” Masaba says.
The mill, run by retired Capt. Fred Mubiru, under Serinya Agro-processors, was constructed with the help of the Government.
“We lobbied the Government and, through National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), we got the mill. It is already changing the fortune of maize farmers,” he says.
Unlike other mills, this one is equipped with a de-stoner and grain cleaner.
“The quality of flour is more refined,” Mubiru says, adding that it has a capacity to mill 2,000kg daily.
He says adding value to maize grain gives a farmer more earnings from the hundreds of tonnes of raw maize grown.
Mubiru notes that one needs 100kg of maize grain to produce 70kg of fine flour. If each kilogramme of flour is sold at sh1,500 at the mill, then a farmer would earn sh105,000 from 70kg.
Comparatively, if one sells 100kg as grain at sh400 each like the case is now, they would earn sh40,000. In addition to the 70kg of fine flour, you also retain at least 20kg of maize bran. With each kilogramme sold at sh1,000 at wholesale, there is an additional sh20,000 from the flour, making a total of sh125,000 from 100kg of maize.
“We charge farmers sh200 to mill a kilogramme,” Mubiru says.
The farmer takes the flour and maize bran, which he can sell or feed to his animals.
During the Harvest Money Expo, several firms exhibited simple equipment needed for value addition. They included Asia Agro, China North Machines, Riella, Musa Body, Brazafric and China Huangpai Food Machines.
