The EPRC has successfully concluded the regional validation workshops across the four sugarcane-growing regions of Buganda, Busoga, Bunyoro, and Acholi. Held from October 10 to 21, 2024, the workshops aimed to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to review and offer input on the proposed policies aimed at addressing challenges within the sugarcane sub-sector and fostering inclusive, sustainable transformation in Uganda.
The workshops brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, farmers’ associations and unions, public sector representatives, local government officials, private sector actors (including millers and millers’ associations), civil society groups (including cultural and faith-based organizations), and media personnel.
Participants also included district officers (such as District Production Officers, Labour Officers, and Agricultural Officers), as well as technical staff from key agencies, including the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). Key ministries responsible for Finance, Trade, and Agriculture also participated in these consultative meetings to “own” the findings, which will play an important role in future policy discussions and decisions.
Validation Focus
The validation sessions focused on key challenges faced by sugarcane-growing regions, examining their causes, effects, strategic objectives, proposed actions, and potential policy recommendations. While participants largely agreed with the RIA findings, several concerns were raised, including:
- Sugarcane pricing
- shared contributions of levies between millers and outgrowers to fund the sugarcane council
- Licensing of new mills with nucleus estates
- Child labour
- Climate and environmental impacts
- Post-harvest handling, particularly weighing and transportation of cane
- Prioritization of local investors
Regional Issues and Recommendations
Buganda Region:
A significant point of discussion in Buganda focused on the licensing of new mills with nucleus estates, as stipulated by the Sugar Act 2020. Participants, particularly from the Kayunga workshop on October 11, 2024, argued that the law should not require millers to own a nucleus estate. Instead, they proposed that a contractual arrangement between millers and out-growers could fulfill this requirement. Stakeholders in Buganda called for an amendment to the Sugar Act to reflect this view.
Bunyoro Region:
In Bunyoro, participants emphasized the need for mechanisms to address climate-related challenges, such as wildfires and environmental degradation that impact sugarcane cultivation. During the Masindi workshop on October 17, 2024, stakeholders also called for changes in the location of weighing bridges and the standardization of weighing scales. They recommended that sugarcane be weighed before leaving the farm to reduce post-harvest losses and improve transparency by establishing standardized weighing bridges. Bunyoro participants also rejected a proposed business model in the Acholi region that excluded out-growers.
Acholi Region:
In Acholi, key concerns included unfair land acquisition, the low prioritization of local investors, and unbinding contracts. Farmers in the Ayuu-Alali Agro-Sugarcane Outgrowers Cooperative Society, who had contracted with Horyal Sugar Factory – Atiak to supply cane, found themselves at a disadvantage when the business model shifted to rely solely on a nucleus estate. This change left farmers without a guaranteed market for their cane.
Busoga Region:
In Busoga, the issue of child labour was raised, though there was no consensus on whether it should be included as a key issue in the RIA. Discussions also centered on the equitable sharing of proceeds from sugarcane products and the pricing of sugarcane.
Next Steps
The recommendations and key issues raised during the regional validation workshops will be incorporated into the final Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) Report. This updated report will be validated at a national stakeholder meeting scheduled for November 20, 2024, before being submitted for further consideration and approval through the relevant policy processes and structures.