Mr. Akuttu in front of his millions worth cassava commercial house

Mr. Akutu Augustine is one man whose tale with cassava is quite admirable. He is earning big both as a cassava farmer and a cassava processor of the High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF). He is also highly recognized as influential in the community and is praised by not only by the community persons but also the local area/ community leaders of the church and political statures.

Mr. Akutu is reaping big as a cassava farmer. He makes proceeds worth millions from selling cassava seed. “I harvested 3,500 bags of cassava stems in 2016 and earned 170 million, this year I supplied 1,275 bags and earned 60 million Uganda Shillings” says Akutu.  From the sales made last year, he bought land and also bought a tipper/ lorry that he now uses to ferry cassava from his farm to the processing site at his home. He additionally set up new structures at his home in Amuria district, bought more 4 acres of land that cost him about 64 Million UGX on which to grow more cassava. He also bought an additional 80 acres to plant the NASE 14 and NAROCASS 1 varieties.

Akutu’s highlight is the newly established cassava house that he has set up in Soroti town, Eastern Uganda. “I bought the plot last year in 2016 at 40 Million Uganda Shillings but expenses shot up to about 52 million” remarks Akutu. This year, the earnings he made from cuttings he supplied on contract to the Government NAADS Programme are what he used to begin setting up the structure. His plans are to use part of the commercial building to exhibit cassava products for sale. The back area will be used as lodging quarters.

The CAVA II team inspects Akutu’s cassava house still under construction

“I want this building to be a lodge /guest house that will earn me some money.  I intend to save up to be able to obtain the cassava flash dryer. I have all this cassava all over Eastern Uganda and I know that we need a cassava factory here” says a smiling Akutu. His cassava gardens of over 500 acres are spread out all through the districts of Amuria, Soroti and Serere.

In an interview with AfrII’s Communications Officer, last year, Mr. Akuttu disclosed his plans to set up the commercial building. The 15 roomed building is worth over 100 Million Uganda Shillings and he intends to finish construction this year for it to be operational.

Prof. Kolawole of FUNAAB launches the cassava house and congratulates Akutu on his achievement

The CAVA II Project Director, Professor Kolawole Adebayo launched Akutu’s cassava house during a recent visit to Uganda on progress of the CAVA II Project implementation in the country.

The CAVA II Project is implemented in five African Countries of Nigeria, Malawi, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda to increase the incomes of smallholder farmers (SHFs) and community processors through participation in profitable and sustainable value –added cassava chains. In Uganda, specifically, it is implemented in parts of Northern, Eastern and Central Uganda in 21 districts with aim to create by 2019 an annual demand for 69,030 tons of Fresh Cassava Roots (FCRs) from smallholder farmers and incomes from sale of fresh roots and processing by smallholders will generate at least USD 4.5 Million per annum for rural communities.

CAVA II is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project receives technical back stopping from the Natural Resources Institute-University of Greenwich (NRI) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA).