How oil palm growing has given fishermen new lease of life

Tabitha Akirapa, 60 years old widow infront of her house which she built using proceeds from growing oil palm in Kalangala. PHOTO BY STEPHEN WANDERA 

KAMPALA. When Tabitha Akirapa, 60, lost her husband in 2006, she thought this was the end of her life too. According to Akirapa, her husband, Peter Sebyaizi died a day after he was hit by a tree and hospitalized in Bugala, Kalangala Island, Lake Victoria.

“As he (deceased) tried to pick a 5-litre jerrican of petrol near the falling tree being cut for timber, tittle did he know that he was to die. The roots of the tree stretched out of the grounded as the tree came down tearing into his stomach thus exposing his intestines,” she said.

Adding, “I rushed him to the hospital but unfortunately, he died hours later.”

The widow, an immigrant from Tororo district says when her spouse passed on, she was left in despair, wondering how she would support her family of seven children and five grandchildren.
However, as luck would have it, her late hubby had registered as an out-grower for Oil Palm Uganda Limited (OPUL) a day before he died.

“Days after mourning, together with my children, we started planting the oil palm seeds on our four acre piece of land with the support of Shs 600,000 government loan,” she explained.

The stout looking widow further narrated that three and half years before the first harvest, life was very challenging for her but currently,” we have five acres giving us a gross income of over Shs1 million and a net of about Shs500,000 after paying off my expenses including labour.” Akirapa now lives a moderately simple life but relatively better.

“I can now afford to send the children and grandchildren to school. I have also built a permanent house although I’m yet to complete it,” she added.

Akirapa’s story is not an isolated case. She is one of the over 2,000 farmers that have had their lives transformed due to oil palm growing.

Samuel Kigundu displays his harvest at his farm in Kizira, village Kalanagala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A study conducted in the last three years (2011-2014) among 2000 registered oil palm farmers by Kalangala district authorities, and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), indicates that each oil palm farmer has been able to employ four workers, creating about 10,000 jobs in Bugala, one of the former Tse Tse fly infested areas of Kalangala Island.

In spite of the developments, some locals backed by civil society organizations claim they got a raw deal in the oil palm project. They further allege that the project has affected the environment.

John Muyisa Muylisa, a 53-year old father of nine, claims to have had leased a 17-hectares (40 acre) plot for coffee, bananas, cassava and potatoes growing on Kalangala island. However, in 2011, the land was taken and cleared for a palm oil estate.

"It's like I'm starting all over again now," Muyiisa said, adding, “At one time, I could earn over US$1,400 a year (1,300 euros) but am now struggling to survive. Some of my children should have completed university education. Most of them dropped out of school due to poverty and whiel some of daughters are doing housework for other people to earn a living."

A number of human rights activists say the Kalangala case highlights a growing conflict over land rights and ownership in Africa between those who hold the legal deeds and the generations of smallholders who occupy and invest in farmland, potentially earning themselves squatters' rights.

"The same is happening in other countries like Nigeria and Tanzania," said environmental campaigner, Mr David Kureeba from Friends of the Earth in Uganda, which is supporting the farmers' legal challenge.
"Expansion of palm oil will lead to food insecurity, human rights violations, environmental degradation and climate change," he argues.

However, OPUL General Manager, Chin Pit Te, dismissed the claims saying those who are criticizing the project are saboteurs of development.

“Some people funded by civil society organizations have claimed that oil palm growing is unviable. But our investigations have revealed that these NGOs and individuals have different agendas. The NGOs and
individuals spin these claims to justify their funding from donors,” said Mr Chin. Adding “Some of the land claimants are actually squatters who have never even planted any single oil palm tree.

According to Mr Chin, some of the farmers failed to take good care of their plantations, leading to poor quality yields.

“Instead of consulting us on how the crop is grown for high productivity, they have turned their frustration into shame”, he explained.

 

OPUL’s new oil palm processing plant in Kalangala Island. Photo by Wandera Stephen

Chin further said OPUL is currently producing between 1,500 to 2,000 metric tons of crude palm oil every month and is expanding to other parts of Lake Victoria islands and the mainland areas of Masaka in central Uganda, near the Equator.

“We are making an investment in a new factory worth $8 million. “If this project was unviable, we wouldn’t be where we are now. As we talk now, we have operations in Kenya, Tanzania and in west African among other countries,” he added.