Lira, Uganda | Officials implementing the National Oilseeds Project (NOSP) have raised concern over Uganda’s continued shortfall in vegetable oil production, warning that the country still imports large quantities of edible oil despite ongoing government interventions aimed at boosting local production.
Speaking during the hub-level Multi-Stakeholder Platform meeting held on Tuesday at Hotel Komar, the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer of Lira District, Otim Denis Otto, called on local governments, extension workers and private sector actors to intensify implementation of the oilseed project before its 2028 deadline.
Otto said Uganda still faces a production deficit of nearly 370,000 metric tons of vegetable oil despite heavy government investment in the sector. He urged farmers to improve productivity through the adoption of quality seeds, better agronomic practices, and effective extension services.
He also challenged agricultural officers and project implementers to ensure the project achieves its targets, noting that implementation progress remained below expectations. Otto further asked engineers supervising community access roads to ensure the infrastructure directly benefits farming communities by linking productive rural areas to markets.
Emmanuel Moses Tukei, the Project Agronomist under NOSP, said the oilseed programme focuses on sunflower, sesame, groundnuts and soyabean production across 81 districts grouped under the Eastern, Northern, Mid-Northern, Karamoja, West Nile and Mid-Western hubs.
Tukei explained that the project is aligned to Uganda’s National Development Plan IV, which prioritizes agro-industrialization and commercialization to increase household incomes, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth.
According to Tukei, Uganda’s annual demand for vegetable oil stands at about 450,000 metric tons, yet current production remains at only 80,000 metric tons, forcing the country to spend nearly USD 300 million annually on imports.
He said the project seeks to reduce imports by at least 90,000 metric tons and save the country approximately USD 70 million.
Tukei revealed that the project targets 120,000 smallholder households, establishments of 4,600 farmer groups, and construction of 2,500 kilometres of community access roads. He added that interventions include mechanization, climate-smart agriculture, quality seed distribution, extension services, value addition, market linkages, and financial services.
The project has so far reached 56,082 households, established 2,157 farmer groups, procured 200 tractors, and facilitated establishment of nearly 596,000 acres under oilseed production.
Tukei further disclosed that farmers earned about UGX 81.86 billion from grain sales during the 2025B season, although challenges such as poor record keeping and continued reliance on imported sunflower seeds remain major setbacks.
Alex Mukuluma, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture under NOSP, said processors are still receiving less grain than their crushing capacities due to low production and weak aggregation among farmer groups.
Mukuluma said the government had received 190 grant applications from farmer organizations, with 78 groups already recommended for support in storage, aggregation, and post-harvest handling.
He added that government would distribute 200 tractors to farmer organizations under a matching grant arrangement where government will contribute 95 percent of the cost while beneficiaries provide 5 percent, with each district expected to receive at least two tractors beginning in July.
Mukuluma also revealed that 1,034 kilometres of community access roads had already been completed under the project, while another 1,005 kilometres will be constructed in the second phase.
He said the project is supporting the development of high-yielding oilseed varieties, including the newly released NARONUT 3R, 4R, and 5R groundnut varieties, alongside two sesame varieties and four sunflower candidate lines currently under development.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Clean Energy Partnership for Africa (CEPA), David Ebong, said Uganda’s future competitiveness in agriculture lies in organic farming and adoption of clean energy technologies for post-harvest handling and value addition.
Ebong observed that Uganda remains Africa’s leading organic agricultural producer and second globally after India, but warned that the country continues exporting simsim and other oilseeds without value addition while struggling to meet strict European Union market standards.
He said post-harvest losses in Northern Uganda remain between 30 and 40% due to inadequate drying technologies and poor storage systems, calling for investment in mobile grain dryers, renewable energy-powered processing technologies, solar-powered oil presses and modern grain cleaning machines.
Ebong also emphasized the need for Uganda to transition from traditional farming practices to market-driven and technology-based agriculture, noting that Africa’s agricultural market is projected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2030.
The meeting in Lira City reviewed the performance of the nine oilseed clusters in Lango Sub-region and assessed the implementation of resolutions agreed upon during previous regional engagements.
Stakeholders discussed challenges and opportunities within the oilseed value chain, including access to quality seeds, fertilizers, mechanization services, and market linkages, while processors emphasized the need for sufficient crushing material to sustain factory operations.
The National Oilseeds Project (NOSP) is a seven-year USD 160 million government initiative running from July 2021 to September 2028 aimed at accelerating commercialization of sunflower, soybean, groundnuts and sesame value chains while improving livelihoods of 120,000 smallholder households across 81 districts. Jointly funded by the Government of Uganda, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Heifer International and the Kuehne Foundation, the project is being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) together with the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG). The project seeks to boost oilseed production, expand value addition, strengthen market access through construction of 2,500 kilometres of community access roads, and reduce Uganda’s heavy dependence on imported edible oils through increased local production and agro-industrialization.
