Onion farmers in the western districts of Kabale, Ntungamo and Rukungiri are up in arms after receiving bad seed from Boona Bageigahare Nyekundiire group, a non-governmental organization.
Boona Bageigahare Nyekundiire group operates under Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) programme and promotes onion growing in the three districts.
In November 2016, Boona Bageigahare Nyekundiire group supplied four thousand kilograms of onion seeds to one thousand farmers in the three districts. Each farmer paid Shs 12,000 for the onion seeds.
The group procured the contested onion seeds from Simlaw Seeds Company Uganda Limited. However, farmers said they were shocked during harvest to find their onions had failed to form bulbs, which renders them useless.
Kedress Tukwasibwe, a farmer from Rwahi in Kayonza sub- county, Ntungamo district, said she planted one and a half acres of onions hoping to reap huge profits.
Tukwasibwe said she is now stuck with the onions because, without bulbs, she can’t sell them. She regrets wasting her little money on hiring a piece of land to plant onions.
Steven Basheka, another farmer from Karogwa in Bukinda sub- County in Kabale district, said he invested over Shs 700,000 in growing the onions with the hope of making over a million shillings from his two-acre piece of land.
Basheka said he has nothing to harvest and sell because all his onions failed to form bulbs. He accused Boona Bageigahare Nyekundiire group of duping them with fake seeds.
Basheka said other farmers who got their seeds elsewhere got a bumper harvest. Peace Rugambwa, the director Boona Bageigahare Nyekundiire group, heaped blame on Simlaw Seeds Company Uganda Ltd. Rugambwa wants the company to compensate the affected farmers or else be sued.
Sylvia Kyeyune, the manager of Simlaw Seeds Company Uganda Limited, denied supplying farmers with fake seeds. She blamed the failure of onions to form bulbs on the effects of climate change.
