Highlights:
- Government Joins Hands with BIDCO
- Collaboration to Expand Palm Oil Production
- Land Agreement Sealed: Uganda to Cultivate Palm Oil in Sango Bay
KAMPALA – The Ugandan government has officially partnered with BIDCO Uganda Limited to extend palm oil cultivation to Sango Bay in Kyotera District.
The journey to introduce oil palm cultivation in Sango Bay, Kyotera District, began in 2017 but faced obstacles due to claims of land ownership.
The Finance, Planning, and Economic Development Minister, Hon. Matia Kasaija, signed the agreement on behalf of the government, while Anoop Sharma, BIDCO’s General Manager, represented the investor. This agreement supplements the existing one made in 2003.
During the signing ceremony held at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kampala, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja expressed her delight that Sango Bay’s land would help the country meet the raw material demand for oil and soap production. She praised President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s guidance on import substitution to save foreign exchange previously spent on purchasing raw materials for soap and cooking oil.
Nabbanja emphasized that the BIDCO plantation would serve as a nucleus farm for local farmers, enabling them to engage in palm oil cultivation as out-growers. She highlighted the potential for excess production to be exported, contributing to foreign exchange earnings.
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija assured the government’s commitment to supporting the investor to reduce the importation of raw materials for soap and oil, essential commodities for the community.
Maj. (Rtd) Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, the State Minister for Agriculture, revealed the government’s goal to expand oil palm plantations by 26,000 hectares, encouraging local farmers to commercialize their farming activities.
Anoop Sharma, BIDCO’s General Manager, hailed the project as a significant milestone for Uganda, set to create over 3,000 jobs, increase tax contributions, and save more than $200 million.
Solicitor General Francis Atoke witnessed the signing of the agreement.
Prime Minister Nabbanja has actively championed the expansion of palm oil cultivation in Kyotera’s Sango Bay land. In March 2022, the government initiated the process of converting the former Sango Bay sugar estates into oil palm tree plantations as part of the National Vegetable Oil Development program.
