Lango Web

By Geoffrey Omara in Apac, February 8, 2009        

 
Farmers who talked to The Vision voice said that the price has gone up in all local markets, trading centres and towns in the region.

Buyers from towns of Lira, Apac, Kampala, Kitgum, Pader and Gulu have deployed their agents in most villages and towns in search of the crop.

 “This is a good season for farmers. We’re reaping big from our sweats, tolerance in keeping simsim until prices soar. The prices are lucrative and motivating,” Mike Ojwang, a local official said.
 
Buyers use bodaboda bicycles to roam villages and rural markets looking for the crop to buy. Ojwang cautioned farmers to observe the quality of the crop and not to be tempted to mixing it with sand in order to fetch more money.

In spite of the hike in price of simsim, some low quality produce is still fetching less money. Moses Okello, a produce buyer attributed low price to farmer’s practice of mixing the crop with sandy soil to weigh and fetch more money.

“Most farmers do not mind abut the quality of the crop, they destroy the crop by mixing it with water a night to the day of selling the crop,” Okello lamented.

“Some farmers are unscrupulous and simple mind abut money at the expense of quality, mixing the crop with sand and soaking it with water to weigh more,” Ogwal-Acira said.
 
Cypriano Oleke, Apac district commercial officer has urged people to form primary cooperative societies in their respective sub counties to attract lucrative prices.

Oleke encouraged farmers to identify big stores for the crops. He said that organized farmers would have easy access to farming loans from banking institutions. “When you sell in bulk, you attract fat prices for your crops”, Oleke said.

District Agricultural officer, Yovan Ogwang explained how the plant is harvested. “Farmers cut off the lowest part of the plant with knife. The seeds are removed by beating the plants on a mat,” he noted.  He also advised that efficient weed control during early growth is essential for better yields.