Page 172 - AFAP Success Stories 2020

“African fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership blessed are core measures put in place by the Ministry of Health.
me with a truck, this has been a huge advantage because Additionally, motorcycles are being used to distribute the
they are not stopped on the way,” he said. products and deliver in fewer than 48 hours locally.

To curb the problem of hiked prices, hub agrodealers According to Victor Otieno, a sales agronomist at Yara East
are collaborating with fellow input dealers in container Africa, they are ensuring that a lot of fertilizers especially
village to get inputs at a subsidized price. They put money the top-dressing fertilizers are being moved quickly to
together and buy inputs in bulk. For example, a bag of Uganda from Kenya as the COVID-19 situation in Kenya
urea is 100,000 shillings (27 dollars). When it is bought in is uncertain. Yara East Africa is banking on some of AFAP
bulk, it is 94,000 shillings (25 dollars). Further innovations hub agrodealers to bulk more fertilizers especially for
and partnerships have also been made. Akorion ICT for top dressing. Kham Farmers’ Services Ltd has already
agriculture, digitalized agricultural value chains to enable secured 46MT of fertilizer in preparation for the proposed
all commercial farmers and other agribusinesses to access cross-border movement restrictions for truck drivers.
high-quality production and marketing services through The Ugandan government is in discussion not to allow
an app called EzyAgric. With one click, input dealers truck drivers to move until their COVID-19 test results
can access agricultural inputs faster and at a subsidized are released, and the turnaround time is estimated to be
price of 15%. Herbicides, such as the weed master, which between 12 and 24 hours.
initially sold at 18,000 shillings (5 dollars) are now being
sold at 13,000 shillings (approximately 4 dollars). The When asked about lessons learned from this crisis, the
price of fertilizers has been reduced by 5% to farmers up majority of the input dealers are reported to have said
country as they have arranged consignments from the that they have learned to be more dynamic and strategic
source/supplier. So far, the company has supplied over in business.
10,000 farmers across all regions of the country during
the pandemic. “In order to progress in life you have to be as flexible as the
wind,” noted Kato Hassan, from Kamm Farmers’ Services,
Markburridge Guest Farms (U) Ltd and Idhatujje Farm Masaka.
Agencies Ltd in Nwoya and Iganga districts respectively
are some of the AFAP-supported agrodealers who If this happened all over again, input dealers have said
have benefited from Akorion services. AFAP is currently that they would respond much faster because farmers
building a relationship with Akorion to offer these services need them and people have to eat, especially in a crisis
to the rest of the 14 hub agrodealers, especially during like this.
this crisis where social distancing and limited movement

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