Uganda Breweries’ Threshers Boost Sorghum Productivity in Lango

Summary:

• Uganda Breweries has donated threshers to sorghum farmers in Lango, improving productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, and easing threshing. The initiative is part of the company’s broader support for local farmers through its “Farm for Success” program, enhancing efficiency and ensuring better market prices for sorghum.

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Sorghum farmers in the Lango sub-region have praised the impact of Uganda Breweries’ donation of threshers, highlighting significant improvements in both productivity and post-harvest management. The farmers, speaking during a December 10th meeting with a Uganda Breweries team in Lira East, said the threshers have notably reduced post-harvest losses and minimized the time spent threshing.

Tom Ongom, an elder and co-founder of the Abur Lango Farmers Cooperative Society, emphasized the advantages of using threshers over the traditional manual method of hand-beating sorghum plants. He noted that the new equipment has saved time and alleviated physical strain, particularly for women who previously suffered from itching and back pain after long hours of threshing. “We are very grateful for Uganda Breweries’ support, as threshing was our biggest challenge. This year, farmers will earn more and produce more sorghum,” Ongom said.

He also highlighted Uganda Breweries’ consistent support in providing high-quality seeds, contributing to improved sorghum production. Ongom urged the company to focus on timely seed distribution and to promote commercial agriculture to further boost local incomes and reduce poverty.

In July, Uganda Breweries donated five threshers valued at Sh25 million, aimed at benefiting 1,000 smallholder farmers across the country. The initiative was designed to increase farming efficiency. Isaac Oret, the Cooperative Society Coordinator, added that manual threshing had caused back pain and fatigue, but the new threshers have eased the process of threshing and cleaning sorghum. He also expressed the need for a local aggregator to maintain close contact with the farmers.

Oret noted that the partnership with Uganda Breweries has secured a reliable market for sorghum, offering better prices compared to other crops like maize. “Sorghum now sells for at least Sh1,000 per kilogram, compared to maize at Sh650, which is a great improvement,” Oret said.

Sheila Sabune, Uganda Breweries’ Corporate Relations Director, explained that the donation of threshers is part of their broader strategy to ensure high-quality raw materials for their products. “We work closely with farmers to guarantee the quality of the grains we use in our brewing process. This initiative is just one of the ways we empower farmers and strengthen the value chain,” Sabune stated.

The threshers were donated after receiving feedback from farmers about the challenges of manually threshing sorghum, which previously took up to three days to process just a few bags. With the new equipment, the process has been streamlined, allowing farmers to thresh up to 10 bags per hour with ease, reducing the physical strain on the mainly female workforce.

This initiative is part of Uganda Breweries’ “Farm for Success” program, which invests Sh52 billion annually to support farmers. The program aims to improve agricultural practices, provide quality inputs, and support over 50,000 farmers in the company’s supply chain.