Nebbi farmers stuck with cassava surplus as prices drop by 75%

The prices have gone down from Shs 1,200 per kilogram of cassava to Shs 300 per kilogram. This sharp fall has prompted the farmers to shift to other enterprises like rice, beans and maize rather than cassava production which has become less profitable.

According to the farmers, the fall in the price is due to excess production which flooded the neighbouring markets in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan. 

Francis Okumu, says that he secured a loan and planted over 10 acres of cassava but his effort is being frustrated with the low prices. Okumu says that it is becoming hard for farmers to recover all the costs incurred in production.

“We were mobilized three years back under ACDP by the ministry of Agriculture for cassava production but we are surprised, we lacked a market for our cassava which should have been considered white gold by now,” Okumu said.

Leotisa Adongtho, another farmer says that she has failed to recover the money she invested in cassava production due to low prices.  Adongitho said, that last year she invested Shs 300,000 on an acre of cassava plantation to earn Shs 800,000 to pay school fees, but ended up getting Shs 250,000.  

“We can’t realize profits in cassava growing anymore because the cost of cassava production is very high besides the low price for cassava in the market today which is so frustrating and this has made farmers abandon their cassava plantations and some cassava are getting rotten in the garden due to heavy rains,” Adongitho said. 

Nebbi district production officer Laverus Nyakuni attributed the low cassava price to the excess production of cassava by the beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) who took cassava production as their main enterprise to venture in.    

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