MASINDI SUGARCANE FARMERS CRIPPLE WITH LOANS OVER DELAYED CANE HARVESTING

Sugarcane farmers in Masindi district registered with Kinyara Sugar Limited are crippling with accumulated loans due to the delayed cane harvesting, this was revealed on Friday during an emergency annual general meeting in Kabango town council Masindi district.
The same meeting was also attended by the general manager, and agric manager Kinyara Sugar Limited, Member of Parliament for Bujenje constituency and others.
Eriab Byeknya a resident of Kyakabazinde Southern ward in Kabango town council explains that he got a loan from Centenary Bank to acquire another field of sugarcane. Byenkya who was hoping to recover the loan after harvesting the sugarcane says that he approached the management of Kinyara Sugar Factory over harvesting his canes but he wasn’t helped.
The aggrieved cane farmer decries the accumulated loan he got hoping to recover it within short time, he says Shs5M loan acquired from Centenary has accumulated to Shs15M, and the bank is going to selloff his house and land which will leave him homeless and helpless.
Topista Nagozibwa, sugarcane farmer in Kyarutanga says her sugarcane has spent three years in the field, she has approached the management of Kinyara Sugar Ltd several times to ensure her cane is harvested but in vain. She however says recently cane cutters went to her cane field but they refused to harvest the canes citing that they are aged cane, and many thus abandoning them.
The aggrieved farmer says she is losing her properties to loan due to delayed cane harvesting, she is asking for government intervention since they are counting losses due to the vice.
David Kugonza who is also sugarcane farmer blames the out grower, and agric manager for Kinyara Sugar Ltd since they don’t follow-up on why aged canes are not harvested. He notes Kinyara Sugar Ltd harvests their sugarcanes and abandon for farmers, he says the only way to solve their problems is to agree at what age canes are supposed to be harvested and if Kinyara Sugar Ltd fails to adhere to the agreement, they sue them to courts of law or they should start the process of acquiring for their miller.
Kanaginagi Ateenyi Rutindo also a farmer says that recently he got a call from Kiryandongo Sugar asking for sugarcanes since they don’t have enough to feed their miller, the farmer is wondering why Kinyara Sugar Ltd is not letting the excess canes to be taken to Kiryandongo Sugar Miller to reduce the age cane in the district.
Richard Atugonza insisted that they should have their own miller, since they have issues as why they want it. He notes the only way to have justice for their products is through owning their own miller.
Audio: Farmers on their own miller
Hon. Kenneth Kiiza Nyendwoha the Member of Parliament for Bujenje Constituency tasked Kinyara Sugar Ltd to produce the agreement over cane age saying that it should be reduced. The politician says farmers are complaining over Kinyara harvesting their own canes abandoning for farmers, he notes that the farmers’ houses and gardens are being marked for sale by the banks.
Nyendwoha asked Kinyara Sugar Ltd to consider on the issue of burnt and aged canes since farmers are incurring losses, noting they will end up losing lives of people due to delayed cane harvesting and fire.
Audio: Nyendwoha on cane fire
Responding to the above issues, Masilamani Mathiuanan the Agric Manager Kinyara Sugar Ltd said that they were harvesting canes at 14 months in October 2019, fire affected them, and in 2020, the outbreak of corona virus which paralyzed the movement of workers hit them hard since some workers were camped in designated areas, vehicles wouldn’t move beyond 6pm thus affecting transportation of canes to the factory.
He adds that following the heavy downpour last year, most of the sugarcane fields were flooded affecting the harvesting, and transportation of canes to the factory thus age canes. Mathiuanan told farmers that this also led to reduction of sugar production noting that they would produce 1,000 tons of sugar per day which is half of sugar they would produce a day.
Audio: Kinyara Agric Manager responds