Poor roads cut into Kalangala oil palm farmers’ earnings

Oil palm farmers in Kalangala District are facing severe financial setbacks as poor road infrastructure, particularly during the rainy season, drives up transportation costs and diminishes their overall earnings.

Harvesting fresh fruit bunches (FFB) and moving them from remote gardens to factories has become a costly venture. Farmers like Joseph Nkambwe from Bunyama Island report that poorly maintained routes force them to rely on multiple transport stages, including tuk-tuks and boats, which levies heavy fees per tonne and eats into their monthly profits. Furthermore, rough roads cause fruits to fall off bunches during transit, resulting in weight losses before produce even reaches the processing plant.

David Zanic Javiira, another local farmer, notes that impassable roads during the rainy season often prevent vehicles from reaching plantations entirely. This forces growers to manually carry heavy harvests over long distances to reach accessible collection points, leading to labor shortages, delivery delays, and mounting expenses.

According to David Balironda, the general manager of the Ssese Oil Palm Growers Cooperative Society (SOPGCS), delayed transport also compromises the quality of the harvested fruit. When fruit remains stranded in gardens, the oil extraction rate can drop significantly from about 23 percent down to 17 percent, directly affecting the prices paid to farmers. Additionally, delayed deliveries expose the produce to risks of theft.

To address these challenges, the cooperative recently launched its own road maintenance unit featuring an excavator, aiming to maintain approximately 300 kilometers of garden roads built under the Vegetable Oil Development Project. Previously, the cooperative relied on hiring machinery or depending on the district, leading to costly delays. With dedicated equipment, leaders expect to significantly lower maintenance expenses and respond faster to impassable routes. Kalangala District chairperson Agnes Lunkuse welcomed the initiative, emphasizing that improved access will boost agricultural production and local economic activities. Read more details on the Daily Monitor.