The Sasakawa Africa Association in collaboration with the Japanese ministry of foreign affairs, are planning to boost agriculture in the Karamoja Sub-region, through stop center facilities.
The two stop centers which will be set up in Napak and Kole districts will have stocking sites, and milling centers. These target to serve over 20000 farmers. This project is funded by Japan’s foreign affairs ministry.
Bemba Joseph, the Sasakawa Africa Association deputy country director for Uganda, said that the centers will help farmers to properly store their produce and reduce the distance they have been walking to the nearest milling machine.
“We are doing this to enable farmers bulk their produce. This center will also have milling station to reduce the more than 20 km farmers have been walking so that their maize is milled,” Bemba said.
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Bemba explained that establishing a milling center will provide an opportunity for farmers to mill for home consumption and also tap into the existing market.
This is one of the many interventions the association is implementing in the Sub-region to improve agriculture and the quality of livelihood.
“We have other interventions we have been implementing, in partnership with World Food Program under the agriculture market support program where we train farmers on financial literacy,” Bemba said.
Sasakawa is targeting to support up to 20,000 farmers in Karamoja and neighbouring districts before the end of 2023.
The project includes the physical structures, training farmers on how to engage in commercial agriculture, and post harvest handling as to reduce losses. Sasakawa hopes to spend over 3.7 billion shillings.
Natalina Modo, a farmer and a leader of 1,027 farmers’ association in Napak district, expressed gratitude for the storage facility under the new project.
“I would like to thank Sasakawa very much especially for the storage unit. We will be able to keep our food. It will protect farmers from the insecurity in this area where you can be killed for your produce.” she explained.
Moddo said their main business aspect is bulking of crop which they sell out to organizations. She added that their greatest challenge has been storage.