More than 200 pineapple farmers in Luwero district are stuck with 8000 pineapples following a snag in the establishment of food processing plant in the district.

Pineapple farmers in Luwero under the natural Uganda cooperative society limited petitioned president Yoweri Museveni demanding for a processing plant to add value for their organic pineapple.

The president ordered the ministry of agriculture and animal husbandry to inject 1 billion shillings into the project. The farmers hoped that if successful, they would be able to process the pineapples and sell them to supermarkets in Uganda and Austria.
The ministry of agriculture and animal husbandry in conjunction with ministry finance and economic planning issued 115 million shillings for phase one.

The money was used to purchase a five Acre piece of land for the plant in Luwero town council, but the ministry has since failed to inject more money to push the project ahead.

The land on which the processing plant was to be established has been turned into a grazing zone. The project coordinator of Natural Uganda Cooperative Society Limited Vincent Ntalo say they have made various requisitions for the funds to purchase the equipments for the processing plant but the two ministries have not given them the funds.

The farmers are worried that the money could have been swindled and have vowed to petition the president over the matter.

According to the Luwero agricultural department, there are 18000 Acres of pineapples in the district and 98% of the pineapples are sold without value addition.

By Mathias Mugisa Isaac