Local farmers see significant gains with Uganda Breweries’ thresher initiative

LIRA— Uganda Breweries Limited has invested in threshers to support local sorghum farmers, improving supply chain efficiency and ensuring a stable supply of raw materials for its brewing operations.

The investment is part of Uganda Breweries’ efforts to enhance its supply chain sustainability and support local agriculture. By providing threshers to farmers, the company aims to reduce post-harvest losses and boost sorghum production.

“We are committed to supporting local farmers and improving our supply chain efficiency,” said Sheila Sabune, Uganda Breweries’ Corporate Relations Director. “By investing in threshers, we can ensure a stable supply of high-quality sorghum for our brewing operations.”

Sabune noted that the company donated threshers after receiving complaints from farmers about the manual beating of sorghum crops. The threshers have reduced the time spent on threshing, from 2-3 days to 10 bags per hour, without straining the mainly female community engaged in the process.

The threshers have already made a significant impact on farmers in the Lango sub-region. Tom Ongom, an elder and one of the founders of the Abur Lango Farmers Cooperative Society, praised Uganda Breweries for its support.

“The threshers have saved us time and labor,” Ongom said. “We can now focus on other aspects of farming, knowing that our sorghum is being harvested efficiently.”

Isaac Oret, the Cooperative Society Coordinator, said manual threshing had become a challenge, with some people complaining of back pain. However, with the thresher in place, threshing and cleaning of sorghum have been eased.

Oret noted that the Cooperative has built its name in sorghum planting and requested Uganda Breweries to keep aggregators close to the farmers. He praised the partnership with Uganda Breweries, saying it has ensured a ready market for their sorghum and a good price, boosting farmers’ income.

“We have been having a challenge of timely distribution of seeds; I would like your team to address this issue,” Ongom said.

Uganda Breweries’ investment in threshers is expected to have a positive impact on the company’s supply chain efficiency and sustainability. By supporting local farmers and improving agricultural practices, the company can reduce its environmental impact and contribute to the sustainable development of Uganda’s agriculture sector.

The investment is also expected to benefit Uganda Breweries’ bottom line. By ensuring a stable supply of high-quality sorghum, the company can reduce its raw material costs and improve its profitability.

The donation of threshers is part of Uganda Breweries’ “Farm for Success” program, which aims to address farming challenges related to quality inputs and best agricultural practices. Under this program, Uganda Breweries invests UGX 52b annually into farmer communities that supply raw materials used in the production process, benefiting 50,000 farmers in the value chain.

In July, Uganda Breweries donated 5 threshers valued UGX 25 million to benefit 1,000 smallholder farmers across the country. This donation was aimed at improving the efficiency of farmers.