Yikii Kaleb

Arua

Sunflower Farmers in Yumbe District have reaped big profits from better negotiations for their produce prices. The Sun flower Farmers were put into groups and carried out collective bulking and Storage where, these Negotiations made farmers to sell their Produce at a fair price to Comboni brothers in Adjumani, which offered to buy Sunflower seeds from the farmers at a unit price of 1,500 Shillings per Kilogram.
Asiku Yassin Adraiga, a model Farmer in Ariwa Sub County says that, from the seven Acres of land he planted with sunflower, he harvested 3.09 tons of Sunflower seeds which fetched him a total of 4,648,000 Shillings. This he says comes as a surprise to him since the Amount of money he got was far much more than what he had been earning from the sale of other crop produce. “Sunflower is a simple crop to grow. I was very surprised to get this amount of money” He noted.
Ayiru Maburuka, Omaruku A farmer’s group member in Ariwa Sub County, encourages women to embrace intercropping of Sunflower for additional Household Income. “I encourage all women to plant Sunflower by intercropping it with other crops like, maize Groundnuts, Cassava and others since Sunflower does not affect the Crops” she said.

Omaruku A Farmers Group Leaders Confirming Money

While handing over the Money to the Farmer groups in Yumbe District, the Executive Director Palm Corps Dr. Abbey Anyanzo says, his organization in consortium with NRC, ACF and Welt hunger, received Funds to support Agriculture Production from the European Union to support Agriculture Production in the Districts of Yumbe, Terego, Madi Okollo and Adjumani.
“It is possible that Farmers in Yumbe District can produce up to 120 metric Tons of Sunflower which when sold at a fair price, can fetch a total of close to a billion shillings to farmers” Dr. Abbey was quoted as saying.
Mawezo Twalibu, the Secretary Finance Yumbe District Local Government Urged Producer Organizations to Lobby for Investors to establish Oil production Plant in Yumbe.  “If you (Producer Organizations) can engage a serious investor to come and establish a serious plant in Yumbe so that these farmers other than going very far to Adjumani or elsewhere can sell their produce from within”.

The Resident District Commissioner Yumbe District Local Government, Tumwesigye John Bosco, urged the people of Yumbe to embrace Government Programs and make use of abundant un-utilized Land. “Work very Hard. Let everybody produce food for consumption and also engage in cash generating activities for a modern life is based on food and money economy”.
A total of 3266.66 Metric tons of Sunflower was sold out to Comboni Brothers in Adjumani District fetching about 49 million Shillings.