“With the world price of cotton at all-time highs during the 2010-11 seasons, cotton farmers with access to the direct export market earned prices more than four times those for maize. One young man we met used his cotton proceeds to buy a bull and a bicycle and build a new hut with a concrete floor. These kinds of returns are attracting young adults who grew up in the camps and are now farming their own fields for the first time” These statements are interesting but I have some clarification to make. In many countries, indeed organic products are sold expensively and the reverse is true for Northern Uganda. Farmers in Gulu and other cotton growing districts are highly exploited by cotton buyers inclusive of GADC. The author of this article should do further research to get first-hand information especially on prices of cotton in 2010/2011 and 2012. The so-called organic cotton was sold at 1,200UGX per Kg which is less than 1US dollar and this made farmers very disappointed and I am foreseeing serious famine in North Uganda coz most people ventured into cotton growing knowing that they would get good prices but was disappointed. I have details of farmers who have gone ahead to burn their whole cotton fields because of anger. The middle men i.e. GADC, DUNAVANT, CDO etc. through radio stations and other media told farmers in 2010/2011 that the least a farmer will be paid per kilo would be 5000 Uganda shillings which made many people got involve only to be exploited. We appreciate your efforts especially when you give grants and loans to Middle men but please carryout qualitative follow up and make sure there is value for money. Thanks
The difficulties Ugandan farmers faced when cotton prices plummeted last year is disheartening, but I don’t believe that exploitation was the reason for the lower prices offered by GADC. GADC paid cotton farmers less last year because there was a worldwide drop in the price of cotton. This five-year chart shows global cotton prices dropping precipitously in 2011-2012 after reaching an all time high in 2010: http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=cotton&months=60
While I cannot speak for other buyers, it is quite likely that others paid lower prices as well because of the steep decline in cotton prices.
Farmers weren’t the only ones who suffered from lowered cotton prices. More than half the ginners in Uganda also suffered losses, despite large volumes, because they struggled to pay the maximum price possible to farmers.
It’s an unfortunate reality that commodity prices rise and fall, and that local prices are tied to global markets. As our weather grows more erratic and extreme, we can expect even more variations in global commodity prices. For that reason it’s important to rotate income generating crops with food crops such as leguminous beans that also preserve soil fertility, as GADC agronomists strongly advise.
GADC continues to help thousands of cotton farmers develop more sustainable livelihoods. Its agronomists teach farmers vital organic farming practices that preserve the natural systems upon which the farmers depend. As a result many farmers have been able to use their earnings to rebuild their homes with concrete floors, invest in their children’s education, or purchase equipment like bicycles or new plows to make their lives easier.
The key to continued success is for northern Ugandan farmers to plant other food crops that grow in rotation with cotton. That will help buffer them against fluctuating commodity prices, which are beyond the control of farmers, and the businesses that connect them to markets, alike.
Sierra Leone is looking for investment opportunities around the globe to benefit from such large scale agricultural projects. Can anyone help us with any? I an be reach at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
COMMENTS
BY Otim Joseph
ON March 8, 2012 06:08 AM
“With the world price of cotton at all-time highs during the 2010-11 seasons, cotton farmers with access to the direct export market earned prices more than four times those for maize. One young man we met used his cotton proceeds to buy a bull and a bicycle and build a new hut with a concrete floor. These kinds of returns are attracting young adults who grew up in the camps and are now farming their own fields for the first time” These statements are interesting but I have some clarification to make. In many countries, indeed organic products are sold expensively and the reverse is true for Northern Uganda. Farmers in Gulu and other cotton growing districts are highly exploited by cotton buyers inclusive of GADC. The author of this article should do further research to get first-hand information especially on prices of cotton in 2010/2011 and 2012. The so-called organic cotton was sold at 1,200UGX per Kg which is less than 1US dollar and this made farmers very disappointed and I am foreseeing serious famine in North Uganda coz most people ventured into cotton growing knowing that they would get good prices but was disappointed. I have details of farmers who have gone ahead to burn their whole cotton fields because of anger. The middle men i.e. GADC, DUNAVANT, CDO etc. through radio stations and other media told farmers in 2010/2011 that the least a farmer will be paid per kilo would be 5000 Uganda shillings which made many people got involve only to be exploited. We appreciate your efforts especially when you give grants and loans to Middle men but please carryout qualitative follow up and make sure there is value for money. Thanks
BY William Foote
ON April 18, 2012 11:57 AM
The difficulties Ugandan farmers faced when cotton prices plummeted last year is disheartening, but I don’t believe that exploitation was the reason for the lower prices offered by GADC. GADC paid cotton farmers less last year because there was a worldwide drop in the price of cotton. This five-year chart shows global cotton prices dropping precipitously in 2011-2012 after reaching an all time high in 2010: http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=cotton&months=60
While I cannot speak for other buyers, it is quite likely that others paid lower prices as well because of the steep decline in cotton prices.
Farmers weren’t the only ones who suffered from lowered cotton prices. More than half the ginners in Uganda also suffered losses, despite large volumes, because they struggled to pay the maximum price possible to farmers.
It’s an unfortunate reality that commodity prices rise and fall, and that local prices are tied to global markets. As our weather grows more erratic and extreme, we can expect even more variations in global commodity prices. For that reason it’s important to rotate income generating crops with food crops such as leguminous beans that also preserve soil fertility, as GADC agronomists strongly advise.
GADC continues to help thousands of cotton farmers develop more sustainable livelihoods. Its agronomists teach farmers vital organic farming practices that preserve the natural systems upon which the farmers depend. As a result many farmers have been able to use their earnings to rebuild their homes with concrete floors, invest in their children’s education, or purchase equipment like bicycles or new plows to make their lives easier.
The key to continued success is for northern Ugandan farmers to plant other food crops that grow in rotation with cotton. That will help buffer them against fluctuating commodity prices, which are beyond the control of farmers, and the businesses that connect them to markets, alike.
BY Mahmud Tim Kargbo
ON February 26, 2015 06:54 AM
Sierra Leone is looking for investment opportunities around the globe to benefit from such large scale agricultural projects. Can anyone help us with any? I an be reach at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)