On April 16, my team and I headed out of noisy Kampala to the greens and quiet of Prime Agro Uganda Ltd Farm, Zirobwe in Luwero district, to launch the 2025 Best Farmers Competition in partnership with Vision Group, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, KLM, Koudjis and dfcu Bank, who are the official financial institution sponsor of this noble initiative.
The Best Farmers Competition, a celebration of innovation and transformation in Uganda’s agricultural sector, recognises and rewards the country’s most impactful farmers.
In doing so, the competition inspires many more to turn agriculture from mere survival into sustainable prosperity.
Driving back from the event, I could not help but reflect on three important realities that struck me at the launch.
Lukia Otema, the country manager of KLM Uganda, said 90% of KLM outbound cargo from Uganda is from farming.
This statistic highlighted the stark reality that farming, and agriculture by extension, continues to be the backbone of the country and the economy — providing employment to large numbers and feeding the nation.
The potential for agricultural exports is high, according to a June 17, 2024, media report that stated: “The East African market for fruits and vegetables is expected to reach $1.3b by 2025, with Uganda well-positioned to contribute significantly — and this growth is projected to continue increasing further over the coming 10 years”.
There is a huge financing gap in the agriculture and farming value chain. There is a need to uplift both large-scale agribusinesses and smallholder farmers across all regions of this country.
Through innovations like agriculture production loans, asset financing, savings-linked loans and multi-peril crop and livestock insurance, dfcu has provided not only capital, but also a solid foundation for growth and expansion to thousands of farmers.
Farmers who now have access to markets, infrastructure and expertise to scale their work and their dreams.
The chief guest of the day, Joost Van Ettro, the deputy head of mission and head of development co-operation at the Dutch Embassy in Uganda, said co-operatives are the collective strength of our rural communities, and that it is important for local farmers to gain international exposure on how to improve their businesses.
Uganda’s agriculture contributes over 60% of our exports. Yet, many farmers still face hurdles — from poor post-harvest handling to limited access to credit and markets.
In 2014, dfcu Bank became an official sponsor of the Best Farmers Competition because we believed (and still do) in recognising excellence, providing global exposure through exchange visits and building a new narrative for agriculture — one that is aspirational, modern and profitable.
Which brings me to this conclusion: when we invest in farmers, we invest in families. When we empower co-operatives, we empower communities. And when we transform agriculture, we transform Uganda.
The writer is the head, integrated channels, dfcu bank.
