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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government and sugar industry stakeholders have agreed on new rules to regulate sugarcane weighbridges, limiting them strictly to weighing functions and banning all trading activities, following complaints that the facilities were enabling cane theft.
The resolutions were reached at a stakeholders’ meeting held Tuesday at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, attended by farmers, millers, security agencies, and local leaders. The meeting was chaired by State Minister for Trade Gen Wilson Mbadi.
Officials at the meeting acknowledged that sugarcane theft had been occurring and that some roadside weighbridges had contributed to the problem by providing markets for stolen cane.
Gen Mbadi said weighbridges must operate within established laws and policies and serve farmers’ interests.
“If operated well, weighbridges facilitate trade to enable a farmer to know the weight before selling their products. How can weighbridges be best used as facilitators of trade, not facilitators of theft?” he said.
He added that disputes around theft and weighing could be resolved through dialogue.
“Resolving complaints about sugarcane thefts and weighing is a small matter which stakeholders can resolve amicably. We need to co-exist with each other and operate fairly,” Mbadi said.
He emphasized the need for a clear traceability system for all sugarcane entering the market.
Chairman recounts personal loss
Masindi District chairperson Cosmas Byaruhanga, who is also a sugarcane farmer, told the meeting he had personally lost part of his harvest after delegating workers to deliver cane to a weighbridge for sale.
He said part of the consignment was stolen, and attempts to verify the tonnage were unsuccessful because the weighbridge did not keep proper records of individual farmers.
New operational framework
Under the new arrangements, stakeholders agreed that weighbridges will operate strictly as weighing points, with no buying or selling of sugarcane allowed at the sites.
The facilities will also be relocated away from active cane trading zones to reduce opportunities for theft and illegal transactions. New locations will be identified through a consultative process involving all stakeholders, led by Masindi Resident District Commissioner Darius Nandinda.
The meeting also agreed on a major change in the cane supply chain. Trucks will pick sugarcane directly from farmers’ fields and transport it straight to factories, eliminating intermediary trading points.
Officials said the move is intended to remove middlemen and close the loopholes that allowed stolen cane to enter the formal market.
Traceability measures
Stakeholders also agreed to introduce traceability measures across the value chain, including branding and identification of trucks transporting cane.
Authorities say the move will make it easier to track the origin of consignments and detect suspicious deliveries.
Industry reaction
Kinyara Sugar Ltd welcomed the outcome of the meeting, saying it addressed long-standing complaints from farmers.
“We welcome the dialogue chaired by the trade minister to resolve the controversy of rampant sugarcane theft that has been fueled by weighbridges,” said company public relations officer Francis Mugerwa.
He said the decision allowing non-contracted farmers to sell to any miller, provided the cane is picked directly from the garden, would remove middlemen from the process.
“We are grateful that the meeting resolved that non-contracted farmers can sell their sugarcane to a miller of their choice so long as the sugarcane is loaded inside the garden and directly transported to the miller, thus removing middlemen and brokers at roadside weighbridges,” he said.
Part of broader reforms
The new measures follow recent government actions in Masindi, including the closure of roadside weighbridges after police investigations linked them to sugarcane theft.
Authorities say the reforms are aimed at protecting farmers’ harvests, restoring confidence in the sugar supply chain, and ensuring that cane reaching factories can be traced back to legitimate sources.
