Bunyoro Sugarcane Farmers Count Heavy Losses As Weighbridge Standoff Drags On

By Swift Reporter 

Sugarcane farmers in Bunyoro sub-region are counting millions of shillings in losses three weeks after the dismantling of their roadside weighbridges, a move that has sparked outrage and triggered legal action in Masindi District.

The affected farmers say the removal of the weighbridges has left them stranded with tonnes of harvested cane drying in their gardens, after they had prepared to transport it to sugar factories. Without the nearby weighing points, they argue, they are incurring higher transport costs and facing alleged under-weighing at factory-based facilities.

Frustration has intensified as a series of stakeholders’ meetings have failed to produce a clear resolution. Farmers describe the engagements as “endless pingpong meetings” that have only delayed implementation of previous decisions, accusing some local authorities of frustrating the process.

The dispute has now been escalated to court, with farmers challenging the controversial removal of the weighbridges and demanding their immediate reinstatement, alongside compensation for financial losses suffered during the suspension.

The legal action follows a tense stakeholders’ meeting chaired by Masindi Resident District Commissioner Darius Nandinda, which ended without consensus. Farmer representatives say the discussions deviated from earlier resolutions and failed to address the urgent issue of reinstating the weighbridges.

The standoff comes despite a directive issued few weeks ago by the State Minister for Cooperatives, Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, ordering that the weighbridges be reinstated.

During a meeting held in Kampala, stakeholders reportedly agreed that the weighbridges would resume operations under two conditions: first, that the RDC convenes local stakeholders to agree on suitable locations to ensure security and proper monitoring; and second, that the weighbridges be used strictly for weighing, with all payment transactions conducted separately at designated offices.

However, farmers now accuse district authorities of reopening issues they say were conclusively resolved in Kampala, instead of focusing on identifying new locations for the weighbridges as directed.

“We feel the discussions are being diverted to delay implementation. Meanwhile, our cane is drying and we are losing money daily,” one farmer representative said.

The farmers argue that the absence of weighbridges has weakened their bargaining power and exposed them to exploitation. Some have even alleged that billions of shillings are being exchanged under the table to influence the process, claims that authorities have yet to publicly respond to.

With no immediate solution in sight, farmers have threatened to stage peaceful protests if their concerns are not urgently addressed.

As the matter heads to court, the outcome is expected to significantly impact sugarcane trade operations in Bunyoro, where thousands of households depend on the crop as their primary source of income.