14

Sunday VISION, June 26, 2016

THE BIG STORY

www.newvision.co.ug

LOSSES OF UP TO 100% ARE POSSIBLE ON PERISHABLES, BUT

Food wastage: Farmers lose billions to

Food waste and
loss, together
dened as food
wastage, is
partly blamed
for the causes
of malnutrition
and food
insecurity in
Uganda. The
Karamoja region
stands tall in
regard to this
debacle after
recently being
hit by famine,
Ronald Mugabe
writes
A garbage dump at Nakasero Market in Kampala. Sometimes the rubbish contains good produce that the vendors have failed to sell on a given day

ganda is largely an
agricultural country
and also widely
referred to as the food
basket of the East
African region. For
that, one would expect the citizens in
every corner of the country, to access
food at low prices, in substantial
amounts and in constant supply.
The World Food Summit of 1996
defined food security as existing
when all people at all times have
access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food to maintain a healthy
and active life. Commonly, food
security is defined as both physical
and financial access to food that
meets peoples dietary needs as well
as preferences.
However, a considerable number
of people go hungry. A recent
report by the Food and Agricultural
Organisation (FAO) put the figure
of Ugandans going hungry at 23
million; implying that about 67% of
the population is food insecure.
Basing on the above findings,
Uganda, along with other countries
in sub-Saharan Africa, have a high
mountain to climb in a bid to ensure
a sustainable food safety net for the
citizenry.
Many factors contribute to food
scarcity. These include climate and
political instability, rural-urban
migration, pests, fertility issues, lack

of insight and planning. There are

some practices, such as food wastage
that seem trivial, but hamper food
availability. Food wastage is common
in market places, storage areas and
dumping sites. And, it seems to be
ignored.
A study carried out by the Uganda
Co-operative Alliance (UCA) and
Uganda National Farmers Federation
(UNFFE) around 2014, found that the
grain-producing districts of Mubende

and Masindi were registering more

than sh16b in post-harvest losses
every year! This wasted food would
make a huge difference in the
families of many Ugandans.
FOOD LOSS PATTERNS
Food loss is also food waste. It refers
to food that is ready-to-eat, but gets
discarded or lost at or during the
stages of production, processing,
retailing and consumption.

With rudimentary transport methods, there are delays in getting produce to

the markets which, increases losses

Augustine Mwendya, the chief

executive secretary and agribusiness
manager of UNFFE, says a study
on maize revealed that seed losses
can go up to 12%, mostly due to
prolonged field drying and late
harvests.
The study revealed that during
farm drying, losses of about 6% can
occur in the partial storage of maize,
while about 2-3% can be lost during
shelling and cleaning, he said.
He adds that during transportation
within and off the farm, farmers
lose about 2% of their grain and an
additional 6% loss is incurred during
storage that spans between three and
six months due to insect pests and
rodents, since most farmers lack both
the knowledge and financial capacity
to safely store their produce.
REASONS FOR FOOD LOSS
Amon Baluku, a farmer and
agribusiness officer at Kasese District
Farmers Association, says postharvest food losses are incurred in
several ways.
For example, with maize, some
farmers make losses because of poor
harvesting methods. Many destroy
the grains in the process of cutting
the maize stalks during harvest
and this eventually leads to losses
because such grains are not accepted
on the market, he says.
Poor handling of produce during

and after harvest is another cause of

food loss, he says.
Most farmers use sacks to move
their produce. Some of those sacks
are either dirty or punctured and
grains seep out in the process, he
explains.
David Katende, the Masindi District
Farmers Association co-ordinator,
says farmers in his district make
losses unknowingly.
After plucking the maize cob, they
throw it on a heap of the other maize
cobs. In the process, it shells off some
seeds which are left in the garden,
he explains.
Katende also blames Masindis two
rainy seasons.
We plant the maize in March
and harvest it between August and
September, but if a farmer delays
to harvest even by just a few days,
the second rains come in and water
soaks the maize, he explains.
Francis Bigyemano, a maize farmer
in Kakiri, Wakiso district, also decries
the unpredictable weather changes.
I have lost produce while
harvesting because it rains when you
least expect it. I have not built good
shelter in the garden. Some of the
harvested grain rot away after being
soaked, he says. Last season, I lost
about 300kg of maize to a heavy
downpour that came in the middle of
the harvest, Bigyemano adds.
Godfrey Bitakaramire, the

15

THE BIG STORY

www.newvision.co.ug

Sunday VISION, June 26, 2016

MOST FARMERS LOSE UP TO ABOUT 60%

post-harvest mishandling
PHOTOS BY DENIS DIBELE

INTERVENTIONS
Godfrey Bitakaramire, the Sembabule District Farmers Association
co-ordinator, recommends that the Government should embark
on capacity-building programmes to enhance farmers knowledge
of safer post-harvest handling mechanisms in a bid to control
food losses. Many farmers lose their produce because they lack
knowledge on how to handle their harvest. Some do not know how
to keep their maize, millet, beans and other dry foods in ways that
protect them from getting moist, he explains.
He adds that value addition interventions should be made; mostly
to help small-scale farmers since they are unable to save their
produce when disaster strikes in form of harsh weather, pests and a
lack of ready market.
For instance, the Government should consider giving solar dryers
to local banana farmers, at least at sub-county level, so that their
produce can have a longer shelf life and attract higher prices, he
advises.
Bitakaramire also recommends contract farming: Contract farming
helps farmers have a stronger hand in price determination and also
assures them of a ready market.

Many perishables, such as matooke and tomatoes, rot during

transportation on poor roads and long distances to markets
Poorly stored cassava means most of it goes to waste
Sembabule District Farmers
Association co-ordinator, says the
district seed losses are largely due to
transport-related challenges brought
about by bad roads.
The major food crops in
Sembabule are bananas, maize,
cassava and beans. Banana quality
is affected during transportation
because village roads are in a bad
state. By the time they reach the
markets, they are shattered, hence
attracting low prices, he says.
LOSSES ON FOOD
Immaculate Niwagaba, a fruits
dealer in Nakawa Market, reveals
that making losses on her fruits is
something she has got accustomed to
because she cannot find a sure way
of preventing this from happening.
Sometimes, they are destroyed
during transportation. The other
reason is that if you do not get
buyers, fruits rot, she explains.
Niwagaba says they resort to fruit
salads and sell them at a cheaper
price, but still, incur losses.
Prossy Arach, a vegetable dealer in
Bugolobi Market, says she sometimes
buys a box of tomatoes at about
sh200,000, but discovers that half
of them are spoilt before she can
sell them. She says it is the same for
onions, carrots and green pepper.
Mwendya explains that losses of up
to 100% are possible on perishables,

20

but most farmers

lose up to around
60%.
If a farmer
is transporting
perishables such
as tomatoes under
harsh weather
conditions and
their vehicle breaks
down before they
reach the market, if
he is unable to get
quick alternative means of transport,
all the produce will be lost, he
explains. Mwendya adds that one
of the biggest challenges Ugandan
farmers face is the lack of value
addition mechanisms for several
food crops such as matooke.
We largely eat matooke in its fresh
form. If there is no ready market,
farmers have nothing to do as their
food ripens or rots away because
they have no means of extending its
shelf life, he says.

MILLION

TONNES OF FOOD
LOST ANNUALLY

20 MILLION TONNES LOST

According to the World Food
Programme country director, Michael
Dunford, post-harvest food loss
is one of the largest contributing
factors to food insecurity and
under-nutrition across sub-Saharan
Africa, directly impacting the lives
of millions of smallholder farming
families.

Due to
inadequate
handling and
storage practices
at the household
level, within
the first three
months after
harvest, farmers
lose up to 40%
of their harvest
to insects, pests
and moisture, he

explains.
The sub-Saharan Africa losses
represent more than 20 million
metric tonnes of grain, valued at over
$4b annually. This is enough to meet
the food needs of an additional 48
million people, he adds.
Dunford says all crops are naturally
subject to biological deterioration,
but the rate of deterioration is highly
influenced by factors ranging from
individual farming practices to the
chain of inter-dependent activities
between harvest and delivery of food
to consumers.
GOVERNMENT SPEAKS OUT
Okasai Opolot, the director crop
resources at the Ministry of
Agriculture, Animal Industry and
Fisheries, explains that lack of good
storage facilities, poor threshing and
shelling methods; as well as the lack
of readily-available market are the

WORLD BANK STUDY

In 2011, the World Bank, in association with the
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), released
an industry study in which they described food
losses along the chain of harvesting, drying,
threshing, storage, transportation, and marketing.
Inefcient post-harvest handling and
management practices across this value chain
expose crops to contamination by microorganisms, chemicals, excessive moisture,
uctuating temperature and mechanical damage.
These all greatly contribute to food losses, World
Food Programme country director, Michael Dunford
says.
He adds that proper handling and storage of grain
can prevent aatoxin contamination. Aatoxins are
common, naturally occurring fungal toxins which
pose a risk of cancer.
Dunford reveals that WFP is determined to help
curb these losses.
We are working to reduce post-harvest food loss
at two levels; the household (farmer households)
and at community level (farmer groups), aiming to
assist 60,000 farmers in 2016. The programme is
implemented in 35 districts, he says.
At both levels, WFP sponsors training in postharvest handling, farming as a business, agronomy,
nutrition and management of savings and loan
associations at the household level, as well as in
group dynamics, stores management and market
linkages at community level, he adds.
WFP provides subsidised infrastructure to
the trained farmers at both the levels. At the
household level, it provides airtight silos (metal,
plastic, bags) on a cost-sharing basis (WFP pays
half the price). At the community level, WFP
provides grain stores, commercial grain-processing
equipment at private sector warehouses and
feeder roads.
The superior storage infrastructure enables
smallholder farmers to store their grain until the
next harvest. This means they no longer need to
immediately sell at harvest, often at low prices,
only to buy food at much higher prices during the
lean season.
Dunford reveals that last year, an evaluation
survey conducted in co-ordination with the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and
Makerere University showed that the adoption of
new post-harvest management techniques, as well
as the superior storage facilities at household level
reduced post-harvest losses by 98% compared to
traditional storage practices and granaries.

key contributing factors to postharvest food losses in Uganda.

He, however, recommends
that this could be curbed at the
grassroots level through farmers
coming together in groups; a
move he says would enable them
establish communal post-harvest
handling infrastructures, value
addition facilities and also a
stronger bargaining power to earn
a reasonable income from their
produce.
For instance, grouping up would
enable farmers construct concrete
crop drying spaces, so as to keep
their produce in good quality unlike
what many do now. Most of them dry
crops such as maize on bare dusty
ground, which kills the quality. More
so, when you drive along Tirinyi
Road, you notice that farmers dry
their cassava on the roadside tarmac.
If they unite, they would build a
concrete communal drying space
which would keep their produce safe
and also prevent them from possible
accidents on the road, he explains.
Opolot adds that forming
groups would also help farming
communities afford value addition
facilities. But as a ministry, Opolot
reveals that they have taken stronger
steps to curb post-harvest food loss.
We have done some research on
local granaries and silos; especially
at Kawanda Agricultural Research

Institute. We have also developed

programmes to demonstrate to
farmers how such technologies are
used, he says.
We are also providing a subsidy
to enable farmers to access
technologies like plastic and metallic
silos, as well as Hematic grain
storage bags instead of using old
methods of storage. We are already
demonstrating these in districts
such as Serere, Soroti, Amuria,
among other main grain-producing
districts. We also set up 600 metric
tonnes grain storage silos in Gulu,
Kapchorwa and Kasese; among
several more districts, he adds.
Okasai also reveals that the ministry
is encouraging the private sector to
set up warehouses. At the moment,
we have storage facilities of about
5,000 metric tonnes established by
the private sector. There are two
in Mubende district, Mityana and
one established by the army in
Nakaseke, he explains.
In Masindi, we are partnering
with the Joseph Initiative, which is
empowering the farming community
to increase productivity by giving
them agricultural inputs, fertilisers,
area for drying maize, among other
extension services, Opolot adds.
This story was done with
support from the African Centre
for Media Excellence