Atiak outgrowers’ cooperative society cry foul over unpaid cane seeds

Arua, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Atiak Out growers’ Cooperative Society Limited has cried foul for unpaid sugar cane seeds worth over 300 million cut from their plantations.

The cane seed were cut by Atiak Sugar Industry with approval from the National Agriculture Advisory Services-NAADS during the first planting season in 2019.

Santa Jolly Laker, the Chairperson Atiak Out growers’ Cooperative Society Limited, says the failure to pay for the cane has affected the livelihood of 1,946 members.

According to Laker, their efforts to compel NAADS to sanction their payment haven’t yielded results, since they say the cane plantation doesn’t belong to them.

Dan Fred Kidega, the Atiak Sugar Industry Board Chairperson admitted that the seed canes were cut to aid the planting of over 15,000 acres of sugar cane plantations belonging to the two cooperative societies.

Kidega asserts that given the private-public-community partnership undertaking of the multi-billion sugar project, they have engaged NAADS officials to ensure the concerns of the aggrieved out growers is solved.

Dr. Samuel Mugasi, the Executive Director NAADS says the out growers were yet to be verified and the money for the cane seeds will be paid to them in arrears.

Established in 2016, Atiak Sugar Factory Limited is found in Gem Village, Atiak Sub-County.

The sugar industry is a subsidiary company of Horyal Investment Holdings Company Limited and co-owned by the Government of Uganda.

The sugar project aims at benefiting 1,946 members of Atiak Sugar Plantation Out-Growers’ Society Ltd and 2,500 members for Gem Pachilo Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Amuru, Gulu, Lamwo and Adjumani districts.

With the industry set to produce sugar crystals next month, it is expected to produce 1,650 tons of raw cane daily, manufacturing 66 million kilogrammes of powder sugar annually.

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