The lack of electricity supply has rendered two agricultural value-addition facilities idle in Masaka district.
The facilities include coffee and maize processing factories that were constructed at Nkuuna and Buyaga villages respectively, in Kyannamukaaka sub-county, to support communities to add value to their agricultural produce.
The factories were constructed in 2019, under the World Bank-funded Agriculture Cluster Development Program-ACDP, which targeted to increase on-farm productivity, production and marketable volumes of selected agricultural commodities in the specific geographical clusters of the country.
Emmanuel Jjunju, the Chairperson of Nkuuna Coffee Growers Cooperative Society says that the factory has remained idle since 2019 due to a lack of power supply. He adds that the society secured the factory in high anticipation that the area would be connected to the grid under the government’s Rural Electrification Program.
Jjunju argues that despite spending close to 80 million Shillings in co-funding to construct the factory in anticipation that they would start processing their coffee to earn more proceeds, the cooperative is still suffering at the hands of exploitative brokers who are taking advantage of them.
Hawah Nakalungi, the Secretary of Buyaga Farmers Association says they also secured funds and constructed a maize-milling factory, which is, however, going to waste due to lack of power. She expresses fear that some of the equipment installed in the maize processing plant may start rusting because they are not in operation.
Nakalungi says they recently received notifications to start servicing a 50 million Shillings loan facility they obtained, yet they have not started reaping from the investment.
Masaka district Chairperson Andrew Lukyamuzi acknowledges the shortfalls but adds that the district cannot extend the required electricity on its own. He urges beneficiaries to properly safeguard the factories as they wait on the government’s promise of extending power connectivity to all corners of the district.
Lukyamuzi adds that the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has assured them that the government secured a World Bank loan which is going to support the extension of electricity in different parts of the country including areas in Masaka district.
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