Govt starts oil palm growing in Busoga after 13 years of waiting

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The government, through the National Oil Palm Project (NOPP), has officially commenced planting oil palm crops in the Busoga sub-region.

The project, introduced in the area thirteen years ago, finally took off on Friday with the planting of a four-acre garden at Buwolya village in Mpungwe subcounty, Mayuge district, on land belonging to Muhammad Gweru, 72, an outgrower.

Suzan Lakwonero, NOPP project manager, who oversaw the planting, noted that after years of anticipation by farmers in Mayuge, every registered farmer would now have the opportunity to plant oil palm gardens to improve their livelihoods.

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Lakwonero told uncoveredug news reporters that “the crops we are giving farmers have been nurtured in our beds for two years; our team will be here and monitor them closely for better results. We have trained enough extension workers to support Mayuge Hub.”.

“We have been challenged to get land near the lake to establish a bed in Mayuge and are still failing, but that cannot stop us from planting. We have dedicated enough vehicles to transport seedlings from Buvuma until all farmers are catered for,” he added.

Unlike in other districts such as Kalangala and Buvuma, where oil palm has been planted after establishing nursery beds for seedlings, the Busoga sub-region hub will depend on the already established beds in Buvuma.

The government’s objective is to establish an estate of 3,500 acres of palm oil trees in the hub, covering three districts of Mayuge, Bugiri, and Namayingo, to support oil production in the country. Each acre will accommodate 67 oil palm trees. The hub will solely consist of outgrowers’ gardens, unlike in Buvuma and Kalangala, where nucleus estates for investors are also established.

The headquarters for Mayuge outgrowers are yet to be established in Manyiro sub-county, Mayuge district. The leadership of the leadership of the outgrowers association has been constituted and approved by the district leadership of Mayuge, receiving its certificate of operation.

In conclusion, farmers in Mayuge expressed gratitude to the government for fulfilling the promise of introducing oil palm growing in their area.

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