Masindi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Masindi District Council has approved the relocation of roadside sugarcane weighbridges from farming areas to designated locations along major highways, a move local leaders say is aimed at curbing cane theft and eliminating middlemen in the sugar supply chain.
The resolution was passed during a council sitting presided over by District Speaker Moses Kiirya on Tuesday, following weeks of consultations between government officials, security agencies and stakeholders in the sugar industry.
The decision comes after the government in February shut down four roadside weighbridges — Katuugo, Rukondwa, Kihande and Mirya — in an operation backed by the Uganda Police Force. Authorities said the closures followed investigations into rising cases of sugarcane theft in Masindi and neighboring districts.
District Secretary for Production and Trade Geoffrey Bigabwa had proposed relocating the weighbridges to locations along highways leading to licensed sugar factories, arguing that such a move would align operations with existing legal provisions.
However, workers’ representative Denis Tumwine introduced an amendment requiring that the relocation strictly comply with national sugar regulations and the Sugar Act.
“Honourable Speaker, let us move an amendment that the location of the weighbridges be in line with the Sugar Regulations and the Sugar Act,” Tumwine told councillors. “Our recommendations shouldn’t contravene them.”
Masindi District Chairperson Cosmas Byaruhanga supported the amendment and cited Section 26(2) of the Sugar Regulations, which states that the weighing of sugarcane must be carried out at the licensed premises of a licensed operator.
“We don’t want someone to buy cane through a middle person and again sell it to the sugar company because a farmer loses a lot of money along this process,” Byaruhanga said. “Sugarcane should be sold directly to the miller from the farmer’s garden.”
Local leaders say the proliferation of roadside weighbridges has enabled intermediaries to buy cane cheaply from farmers and resell it to factories, often depriving growers of annual top-up payments made by millers to contracted farmers.
John Kisarach, the Kyatiri Town Council representative, said eliminating intermediaries would help farmers retain more value from sugarcane production.
“If a farmer is to benefit from sugarcane growing, middlemen at the weighbridges should be completely eliminated,” he said.
The council also approved several additional measures to streamline the sector. These include requiring vehicles transporting cane to be labelled with the names of sugar companies, banning the use of motorcycles, three-wheelers and pickup trucks to transport sugarcane, and prohibiting loading or offloading cane along major roads.
The district also resolved to establish a database of sugarcane farmers and acreage in the district and require that cane from non-contracted farmers be transported with a letter from the local council 1 chairperson confirming its source.
The measures were prompted by increasing complaints from farmers about cane theft. Zam Nsubuga, the district councillor representing Labongo Sub-county, said she personally lost harvested cane to thieves.
Government intervention began after police investigations linked some weighbridge operations to the theft and illegal trade of cane.
State Minister for Trade Wilson Mbadi earlier held consultations with sugar millers and leaders of the Bunyoro Sugarcane Farmers Cooperative Union on Feb. 17, though stakeholders failed to agree on where weighbridges should be located.
The minister subsequently directed the Masindi Resident District Commissioner to convene district security meetings with millers and farmer representatives. Meetings held on Feb. 24 and Feb. 26 recommended relocating weighbridges to Mijeera and Nakitoma in Nakasongola District or Kafu in Kimengo Sub-county in Masindi.
The district council’s resolutions and the proposed locations will now be submitted to the Ministry of Trade for final guidance.
Speaker Kiirya said the district also intends to require sugar companies operating in Masindi to formally register with local authorities and disclose their farmer networks, plantation acreage and corporate social responsibility programs.
“We have resolved that all millers should have a working framework with the district,” Kiirya said. “Some companies simply come to collect raw materials and leave the district to deal with the consequences of the sugarcane business.”
He added that weighbridges should be established and operated strictly by licensed sugar companies to eliminate intermediaries and bring order to the sector.
