By VOM News Team
PRIME
Psalms Food industries has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kisoro District Potato Growers Cooperative Union Limited to grow and Supply 35 metric tons of potatoes per month, for the next two years.
The Chief Executive Officer of Psalms Food Industries Dennis Ngabirano confirmed the development.
The two year, renewable agreement, between Psalms Food Industries and Kisoro District Potato Growers Cooperative Union was formalized back in February, 2022.
Ngabirano, a former Primary School teacher turned vendor, turned billionaire and resident of Rubanda district says, he can testify to the quality and taste of potatoes from Kisoro district, which he describes as second to none in the entire country.
“Over the years, we have been sourcing potatoes from small holder farmers and cooperative unions in the region informally, we thought it was high time, we formalized our dealings in the area and worked on a few shortcomings to improve on high quality production of potatoes in the region, Ngabirano explained.
According to the agreement, all potato farmers under the Union, will be required to plant Taurus seed, an improved Dutch Variety good for crisps.
The farmers will collectively sell to the Union, which in turn will sell a total of 35 metric tons of potatoes to the Crisp processing factory in Wakiso every month at a selling price of 1,300 Kgs
Ngabirano says potato farmers who have always fallen victim to lack of adequate markets, poor quality seed and middle men who often prey on farmers’ desperation to sell due to economic constraints.
This he says, will provide a win- win scenario for all those involved.
Kisoro District Potato Growers Cooperative Union Chairperson Fidel Kamari says the potato farmers have all undergone training on leadership, Governance and more trainings still underway.
According to Kamari, an order of 16,000 kgs of Taurus seed have been placed at Namakwaland Farms in Masaka which will be sold to the farmers to plant.
Kamari advised the farmers to abandon rudimentary ways of farming and embrace new agronomic practices. He further tasked them to start selling potatoes in Kgs as a way of tracking level of input in terms of investment.
Business Advisor with Agriterra and Netherlands Development Organization (SNV) Enock Nuwabine says 10 Potato Cooperatives under the Union were trained on capacity building under a program called “My Coop” where the farmers were equipped with skills on how to grow their businesses by sourcing quality seeds, offering credit as well as linkaged financing among others.
Nuwabine says the Potato cooperatives are still operating like farmer groups instead of operating like Cooperatives that are profitable and self-sustaining.
He said the trainings will go a long way in boasting their capacity
With the support from the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), under the project called Climate Resilient Agro-business for Tomorrow (CRAFT), a diffused light store has been built in Murora Sub County which will be used to store the seed in bulk.
Namakwaland Farms Resident Director John Mugisha says an M.O.U was signed Kisoro District Potato Growers Cooperative Union to provide the seed however payment is still pending at this stage.
Mugisha says Taurus seed is good for processing crisps and food consumption.
Principal Technician with NARO KAZARDI Innocent Uzatunga says the Kisoro District Potato Growers Union has been seeking basic training on usage of foundation seed as well as other modalities to prepare them for the next part of their development.
Close to 12,000 potato seed of Taurus variety was given to the Union to plant for multiplication and the farmers reported back that the yield was high quality, fast maturing and good for business.
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