Walter Okello
Otuke, Uganda | Farmers in Otuke District have welcomed the establishment of a milling and storage facility, saying it has reduced exploitation by middlemen, cut transport costs, and minimized the risk of losing earnings from produce sales.
Macdonald Ojok, chairperson of the Otuke Town Council Farmers’ Cooperative and Credit Society (SACCO), said that prior to the facility’s opening, farmers sold their rice and maize cheaply to middlemen, incurred high transport costs to Lira City, and were at times victims of theft.
Ojok noted that since the facility was set up by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), farmers now enjoy better prices for their produce, access clean maize flour, and no longer incur transport costs.
He said the facility provides a ready market, allowing farmers to process grains for both household consumption and income generation.
“Before, we had to travel to Lira to sell our rice, facing challenges of theft and exploitation by middlemen. Now, the market is right here, and farmers are getting fair prices,” Ojok said during an SAA field visit on Wednesday.
His cooperative has 1,000 members.
The facility, funded by Japan, is part of several one-stop centers established by SAA across the country to enhance access to inputs, strengthen market-oriented agriculture, improve storage, and promote value addition and climate-smart farming practices.
Program officer Oliver Nabiryo said the centers cost Shs1.9 billion to establish in 18 locations nationwide.
Mildred Akidi, a records assistant at the SACCO, said the facility mills between 700 and 1,000 kilograms of rice daily, with farmers who sell their produce earning Shs3,000 per kilogram.
She noted that the main challenge is reliance on a generator and that the cooperative is working to secure a transformer for uninterrupted operations.
Isaac Okwir, a farmer from Omanabunga Village in Alebtong District, said he previously sold 500 kilograms of rice cheaply due to lack of value addition.
After joining the cooperative, he produced 800 kilograms last year, earning Shs1.4 million.
Molly Auma of Adwongibutu Village said she previously transported her rice to Lira to access a better market, paying Shs10,000 per bag in transport costs.
The new facility has eliminated that burden.
Nabiryo explained that the one-stop centers support cooperative members by offering milling, bulking, and storage facilities, along with training on post-harvest handling.
She said the initiative has helped farmers access reliable markets and secure premium prices for high-quality grains, uplifting communities economically.
