Uganda's sunflower production blossoms

Uganda's earnings from sunflower production have yielded 138 billion shillings ($80 million) since the project was launched eight years ago. Connie Masaba, coordinator of the Vegetable Oil evelopment Project (VODP) , said through funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development Fund (IFAD), the country has also been able to increase domestic oil production.

Under the VODP, the total area planted with sunflower in the project districts is 255,600 hectares, which have yielded 306,720 metric tonnes of sunflower seeds. This translates to 6,680 metric tonnes of sunflower oil worth sh138b and 230,000 metric tonnes of cake worth sh34.5b ($20 million) since the project started, Masaba said.

Masaba was briefing the IFAD vice-president, Kanayo Nwanze, during his visit to IFAD-funded projects in Masindi. Kanayo was in the country to assess the IFAD-funded projects. He disclosed that IFAD had contributed about sh300b to finance the various projects in Uganda. "It is IFAD's policy that the projects are owned by the beneficiaries and we are very impressed with what we have seen so far, Kanayo told farmers at Mpumwe and Kaduku sub-counties in Masindi.

Masaba said increased sunflower production had stimulated investments in agro-processing. Vegetable oil consumption in rural areas has increased and has led to the revitalisation of domestic vegetable oil industry in the country, she said.

New Vision