By Tom Gwebayanga
The significant strides being made by Vision Group’s Best Farmer, George Batwawula, 58, highlight the positive impact of the community-run 40,000-tonne silo, where farmers store coffee and maize grains and sell them at higher prices.
This is a remarkable milestone. Under the Kamuli Nankulyaku Farmers’ Co-operative Society, which has 160 members, Batwawula, a Primary Six dropout, has proven that the sponsors invested their money in the right person.
The sponsors include dfcu Bank, the Koudjis, KLM Airlines and Vision Group. Batwawula ranked 6th in the 2017 Best Farmers’ competition and won a fully sponsored trip to the Netherlands to visit Dutch farms.
He returned with valuable insights and immediately began applying what he had seen and learned.
What inspired him were the grain storage silos, owned by the wealthier members of Dutch society, a trend he admired and chose to emulate.
“I built a silo to buy and store maize grains, then sell when the prices rise,” Batwawula said.
Back home in Nankulyaku– Busige zone, Northern division in Kamuli municipality, using his farm savings, he constructed the 40,000-tonne silo at sh100m.
It was the first privately-owned facility of its kind in Kamuli district. He then mobilised the formation of the Kamuli–Nankulyaku Farmers’ Co-operative, which has more than 160 members.
The co-operative’s objective is to encourage farmers to embrace farming, store maize grains, sort them and wait for higher prices.
Currently, the society sells sorted maize grains to companies, including the World Food Programme, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and others.
The total investment in the project is now sh450m and continues to grow.
After the sale of the grains, members receive shares based on the quantity of grains they contributed and the recorded details.
Formation of SACCO
In September last year, Batwawula mobilised the formation of the Busoga Farmers’ Forum (BFF), an organisation that unites all farm entrepreneurs and maize produce buyers in Busoga region.
This development led to his election as chairperson, supported by an executive committee with members drawn from across the Busoga region.
The objective of the SACCOS, which has 120 members, is to promote agricultural farming and market Busoga’s produce, while extending the value addition chain in support of the Presidential Build Uganda, Buy Uganda (BUBU) initiative.
Seeds for sale
In addition, Batwawula grows improved beans on a large scale, which he sorts and packages in two, five and 10-kilogramme bags for sale to seed companies and the public.
He told Harvest Money that the goal of seed growing and packaging is to help local emerging and progressive farmers to access quality seeds and protect them from fraudulent seed companies.
“I emulated the wealthy Dutch, who specialised in handling and selling quality seeds,” Batwawula says.
He attributes the success of his seed innovation to the Integrated Seed Sector Development (ISSD), which supported him in meeting national standards.
Batwawula also credits the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), the nation’s seed regulator, for empowering him to achieve this.
“I grow the beans on a large scale, dry the harvest and test its moisture content and quality using a moisture metre certified by NARO,” he explains.
The seeds are then treated with a marathon pesticide, packed in special polythene bags and sealed using an electric-powered device. The bags also display the accredited farm name and labels.
In a single season, Batwawula bags between 1,800kg and 2,600kg and by selling at sh4,000 per kilogramme, he earns close to sh1.96m.
His goal is to reach 6,500kg per season. Joseph Omulama, the ISSD Agribusiness expert, commended the innovation, adding that with quality assurance in place, consumers should maximise the opportunity.
Food security
Batwawula has also introduced another innovation, by growing improved cassava varieties, including NAROCAS 1, NAROCAS II and NAROCAS III, which he dubbed, The Money Makers. These are key tools for ensuring propagation and food security in the community.
“The community, especially the residents of nearby Kamuli town, will be the first beneficiaries,” Batwawula says.
He acquired the mother stems for his two-acre garden from the Namulonge Research Farm in 2020, a source from which he now earns millions.
“Each bag of cassava tubers costs sh80,000. I harvest 150 bags per season, earning sh12m,” Batwawula explains.
The Operation Wealth Creation (OWEC) programme also buys cassava seeds for distribution to the public.
“I am set to harvest 200 bags of seed, each costing sh30,000, which will earn me sh6m,” Batwawula says.
Hajati Baroda Watongola, the Kamuli municipality MP, appreciates the speed at which the farm has progressed, stating: “He’s a man worth emulating. I’m happy that the farm has become Kamuli’s food basket.”
Robert Mujumbire Matege, the chairperson of Northern Division in Kamuli municipality, is glad that Batwawula has joined the “Rich Club” in Kamuli.
“He now employs many people, including his children, who manage some of his enterprises. He’s tackling unemployment and food security,” Matege says.
Plans
Batwawula plans to expand his business, by establishing an industrial park fully equipped with processing machines for coffee, rice and maize, in preparation for his latter years.
