Uganda: Arua Farmers Not Paid Sh65 Million

Source from:  AllAfrica.com 08/24/2010

Kampala - TOBACCO farmers in Arua district have accused Leaf Tobacco Commodities Uganda Limited of not paying for their products worth sh65.3m. Farmers from Vura and Oluko sub-counties said the company collected the tobacco in August last year but has not paid them since. Tonny Guma, a farmer, said: "We want them to pay for the tobacco at the current market rate of sh4,600 per kg. They should also pay for the time we have wasted and transport costs incurred while coming to demand our money." Christopher Adia, another farmer, said he was unable to send his children to school. "They deployed Police at their offices when we became serious. We are worried, we do not know whether we shall be paid," he added. The area company manager, Ronald Acidri, said: "We held a meeting and their demands are being handled." By press time, the farmers were still camped at the company gate on Arua Hill. In a July 15 report, the district criminal investigation officer, Christopher Obia, said the company collected tobacco from the farmers, kept it in their stores in Ocoko and stealthily transported it to Kampala without the farmers' consent. Charles Odipio, the district secretary for production and marketing, said they did not know that the tobacco companies were cheating the farmers. "It was recently that we learnt that the tobacco farmers were not paid. The company should pay the farmers or be taken to court because this is daylight robbery and we cannot tolerate it," Odipio warned. He said a number of companies had taken farmers' tobacco and not paid them. "Some of them did not even pay their transporters. If they don't act now, they will know Arua has leadership. We cannot let our poor farmers be robbed of their income by rich companies," Odipio said. Recently, tobacco farmers in Maracha district threatened to sue the Continental Tobacco Company for degrading, devaluing and non-payment for their products after the company transported their tobacco to its stores in Wandi. Enditem