By Sylvia
Barley farmers under the Rwenzori Barley Farmers Association have appealed to Nile Breweries to increase the price of barley, saying the current price is too low to enable them to recover production costs and earn meaningful profits.
The farmers made the appeal during a one-day training on post-harvest management held at Nyabuswa Trading Centre in Mugusu Sub-county, Kabarole District, where about 450 barley farmers from the Rwenzori region participated.
The farmers say they incur high costs during production, including land rental, labour, manure and other inputs, as well as materials required for proper drying and post-harvest handling of barley.
Farmers speak out
Climond Mugisha, a barley farmer from Karangura Zone in Karangura Sub-county, said farmers spend significant amounts of money on land and casual labour, making it difficult to make profits at the current market price.
Mutanywana Joseph, another barley farmer, said a kilogram of barley is currently bought at 1,700 shillings; a price he says should be increased to at least 2,000 shillings to improve farmers’ earnings.
Despite their concerns over prices, the farmers commended Nile Breweries for organizing the training, saying it had equipped them with knowledge on better farming, harvesting and post-harvest handling practices.
They said the skills acquired would help them improve the quality and quantity of barley produced for the market.
Meanwhile, Bob Godon Mutegeki Abooki, the Agriculture Team Leader for Western Uganda, said the training is aimed at improving farmers’ harvesting and post-harvest management practices.
He said proper post-harvest management is essential in safeguarding the quality, value and marketability of farmers’ crops while reducing losses.
Mutegeki added that maintaining good grain quality is critical to helping farmers access better markets and maximize returns from their produce.