Mayuge Farmers to Own Sugar Factory in Boost for Uganda’s Agro-Industrial Drive

In a landmark step for Uganda’s rural transformation, the government has announced plans to acquire Mayuge Sugar Factory and place it under the direct ownership of Busoga’s sugarcane growers.

The move, championed by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, is part of a broader national agenda to strengthen farmer incomes, ensure fair value distribution, and promote farmer-led agro-industrial growth.

Speaking in Mayuge on 6th August 2025, the President said the acquisition would fulfil a long-standing pledge to give Busoga its own processing facility. Farmers from major sugarcane-growing regions overwhelmingly backed the plan, clearing the way for purchase negotiations.

Once under farmer control, the factory is expected to ensure fair pricing, remove exploitative levies, and reinvest profits back into the community. The President also directed the immediate creation of a Sugar Council to regulate the sector, alongside a revolving fund to provide fertilizers and boost productivity.

“This is more than a factory purchase — it’s a step towards rural ownership of the value chain,” the President said.

The initiative is part of Uganda’s wider development vision: to empower communities not just as producers of raw materials, but as key players in processing, marketing, and wealth creation. By anchoring industrial growth in the hands of those who grow the crops, government aims to make prosperity sustainable and locally driven.