Oil palm growers in Buvuma district have raised concerns about the criterion used by the National Oil Palm Project-NOPP to distribute farm inputs, saying it is meant to keep them in debts. Oil palm farmers are entitled to farm inputs such as seedling, fertilizers, pesticides, garden maintenance and school fees, which they get on loan.
They are supposed to pay back when they harvest the oil palm. The Out-growers started planting oil palm trees in May last year and are entitled to loans through their Buvuma Oil Palm Grower’s Cooperative Society Limited-BOPGCo. So far, over 60 farmers have grown oil palm.
However, the farmers claim to have received receipts for the inputs only detailing the quantities without prices. Lawrence Kalema, one of the out growers in Nairambi Sub County is worried that the country is experiencing price changes, which puts them at risk of losing out.
Kalim Mugabi, another farmer anticipates a great struggle to settle loans because of poor yields caused by poor maintenance of gardens. He says that they are on the verge of uprooting some of the seedlings and plant coffee and trees for timber after failing to maintain the gardens.
Mugabi and many other farmers also decry delayed disbursement of loans to maintain the gardens, fertilizers and pesticides.
Patrick Kaso, the Kitiko LC I Chairperson in Nairambi Sub County, says that the majority of residents sleep on empty stomachs after investing in oil palm projects all the money they had expecting quick loans.
He notes that several other residents cut their banana plantations to grow palm oil but have failed to secure money to manage their gardens. Kaso notes that so far three of his residents passed on before establishing gardens leaving behind young children who cannot manage oil palm growing.
Mutwalib Bagoore is stuck with three bushy acres of land he had prepared to grow oil palm. He told us that he cut his coffee plantation after being promised inputs and loans for maintenance, which has delayed to come.
The Chairperson of Buvuma Oil Palm Grower’s Cooperative Society Limited-BOPGCo, Salim Maiso acknowledges the delays in disbarment of money especially for garden maintenance and school fees as well as specifying prices on the distributed farm inputs. He however, says that these challenges would be solved once their cooperative gets a manager and loans officers whom they currently do not have.
He notes that despite having some money on their bank account, they cannot distribute it to farmers. Anthony Wanyoto, the NOPP Communications Officer, says that they secured enough money from the International Fund for Agricultural Development-IFAD and they are currently waiting for the solicitor general to clear the memorandum of understanding between BOPGCo and the Ministry of Agriculture.
About prices of farm inputs, Wanyoto says they can only be determined once the solicitor general clears the MoU. “At least quantities of the inputs are known, figures can only be included after the solicitor general clears the MoU,” he said.
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