Page 156 - AFAP Success Stories 2020

Mukono within Central Uganda is believed to be
naturally fertile thus residents do not like using
fertilizers. A few farmers who try to use fertilizer
become disappointed when they do not see the
expected results. Some even suffer loss of crops, which
creates the fear that the use of fertilizers will spoil or
destroy their soil.

In all Mefai’s marketing efforts they uphold their
adage: “No use without information” thus training
is a high priority on their marketing agenda. At the
demonstration plots they always train farmers on how
to use fertilizers appropriately. In such training sessions
they explain Liebig’s law of the minimum to ensure
that farmers appreciate the need to provide crops with
all essential nutrients.

Nakatuga Cate (Mefai technical director) showing how the Novella 1 tomato As a result of one of these training opportunities, one
variety performed and how the tomato grew/filled well because it was well fed farmer, Joyce Nabukeera who is a tomato grower, chose
as evidenced by the brix of her tomatoes.
to follow the shared principles on the appropriate use
of fertilizers. She applied the principles on her quarter-
acre plot. She boasts that she harvested in the quarter
plot 5kg of tomatoes per plant (and an amount of
10MT), as opposed to the control from which nothing
was harvested due to bacterial wilt.

Nabukeera used DAP and Fertiplus for basal dressing
and then MgSo4, NPK winner, and CAN for top dressing
to ensure her crops received all the essential nutrients,
including micronutrients. The total cost of production
for the quarter acre was 1,250,000 Ugandan shillings
(USD 342), and she sold each kilogram of tomatoes at
the farm gate for 1,000 Ugandan shillings (USD 0.28).
Therefore her total sales were 10,000,000 Ugandan
shillings (USD 2,778) over a three-month period.

Mefai Agro Inputs Ltd Team during a field day: Ssemugabi Joshua (lab
technician) demonstrating how soil testing is done.