Bukona Agro-processors sugar factory and distillery limited in Nwoya District have turned to sweet sorghum as an alternative raw material for the production of biofuel.
The move follows the continued decline in the supply of cassava from farmers in the Acholi Sub-region to aid the production of ethanol processed from cassava.
In March 2020, the factory launched the green Fuel Uganda project through which it manufactures specially designed cook stoves that use ethanol for domestic cooking.
Through a partnership with the Gulu Archdiocese, over 10,000 farmers were mobilized in the region to grow cassava towards supporting the green fuel initiative.
Emmanuel Orach, the Nwoya LCV Chairperson however says their engagement with the Factory management last week revealed that the factory hasn’t been getting sufficient cassava supply which greatly impacted the production of Ethanol.
Orach says many farmers who had been mobilized in the past for the initiative failed to get the needed market despite the surplus production, a move that demoralized them from supplying.
Orach notes that the factory required at least 100,000 Kilograms of dried cassava daily to produce Ethanol but the shortage of supply prompted them to opt for supplies from Soroti District.
Orach says with the low supply of cassava, the factory has turned to sorghum as an alternative source of starch to produce biofuel with funding from the Uganda Development Corporation (UDC).
According to him, the new alternative raw material will be a big relief to farmers who would intend to partner with the factory since it fetches good prices.
For instance, he says a Kilogram of sweet sorghum will be bought at 1,000 shillings adding that the product will be transported at the cost of the factory from the farmer’s store.
Alfred Kilama, Nwoya District Agricultural Officer however says many farmers in the district abandoned the supply of cassava to the factory over low prices and high transport costs.
He says that they had mobilized many farmers for the initiative, and farmers opted to sell in the open market where they earned much more than when they sold to the factory between 500 and 600 shillings for a kilogram.
“What motivates the farmers are favorable prices, if prices are low, the farmers will look at other markets so that they don’t get losses. This is what affected their relationship with Bukona factory,” says Kilama.
Kilama says they hope the factory management will work closely with the district in their new venture to ensure it’s successful.
Bhagyan Kekal, the Marketing Director at Bukona Agro-processors sugar factory and distillery Ltd confirmed the development saying the limited supply of cassava made them shift to sorghum as an alternative raw material.
Kekal says that despite over 10,000 farmers who were mobilized to grow cassava to keep up with the factory’s demand of processing between 90,000 to 120,000 tons of dried cassava daily, the supplies were significantly low.
“The farmers couldn’t supply the needed quantity, it used to come in trucks, imagine there is a group of five farmers where their leader collects cassava from them and then brings it. The truck would carry like 20,000 tons or 30,000 tons which was far less than what we needed,” Kekal told URN in an interview Tuesday.
He notes that they opted for sorghum since it’s easy to plant and can survive in any harsh environment without a farmer injecting huge capital.
Nwoya District local government is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding with the factory that will see farmers start large-scale production of sorghum by the fall of rain next year.
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