‘Farmers associations’ clash over Kalangala oil palm project

According to reports the project is being undertaken by some farmers, the Government of Uganda and Oil Palm Uganda Limited, a subsidiary of Bidco Uganda Ltd, but has drawn ire from a section of the farmers which claims that the private investor has carried out several irregularities.

On January 28, the Bugala Farmers Association (BFA) petitioned the UNDP, protesting against Bidco Africa, a Kenya-based edible oil producer it accused of land-grabbing, human rights violations and environmental disasters in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

“For those who know the real business practices of Bidco Africa and its CEO Vimal Shah, the embrace by BCtA of Bidco Africa is a tragedy for smallholder farmers and a major stain on the reputation of UNDP,” the petition says.

According to the BFA, ‘over 100 farmers lost their land to Bidco when, in partnership with the local government, the company deforested more than 7,500 hectares (18,500 acres) of rain forest and smallholder farms on Bugala Island on Lake Victoria to make way for one of the largest palm oil plantations in Africa’.

But the rival association, the Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Association (KOPGA), have written a counter petition to the UNDP, discrediting the one by BFA.

According to the KOPGA Chairman Martin Lugambwa, ‘there is no official record of Bugala Farmers Association anywhere and the individuals associated with the organisation are not part of the project in any way at all’.

“We as KOPGA find the letter written by John Muyisa to be incorrect and totally misleading. We are also concerned that the ‘Bugala Farmers Association’ may be confused for the Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Association by stakeholders which is not the case. We are registered with the District Government since 2006, however there is no record of BFA, their intentions or activities,” the letter by Mr Lugambwa states.

The letter adds: “We are proud to be a part of the project and the development it has brought to Bugala. Our farmers earn an average of 600 million Uganda Shillings a month from the sale of Oil Palm and this has the potential to reach UX 1.5 billion per month when the plantations reach full maturity.”
KOPGA, reportedly an association of 1800 farmers, has also been joined by the Kalangala Oil Palm Growers Trust (KOPGT), the implementing agency that contracts farmers that has also taken exception to the claims against the project.
“As one of the main development actors in Kalangala finds these assertions lacking in facts and totally misleading,” Nelson Basaalide, the KOPGT General Manager said.
The KOPGTrust also says the petition by ‘BFA’ is nefarious.

“The petition to UNDP by people pretending to be a voice of the Bugala Farmers is a calculated ploy to discredit the otherwise clean oil palm development project,” Basaalide says.
The out growers Association is categorical about the false land grabbing allegations levelled against Bidco Africa over the project.
“The process of acquiring land for the project was the role of the Government of Uganda not Bidco. In addition the land acquisition was on willing buyer willing seller basis,” KOPGT says.

The Trust concurs that no farmer has lost land to the project. Both bodies say there has been no deforestation caused by the project.

“The National Forest Authority is the Custodian of forests in the country and they confirm Bugala’s forest cover is intact.”

In a related development, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Vincent Rubarema issued a statement reinforcing the KOPGT position.

“Oil Palm is a tree crop so the cover on the island has improved by about 60%,” Mr Rubarema’s statement reads in part.