Namayingo Farmers Confront Sugar Council Over Delayed CN Sugar Licence

What the report says

Namayingo District sugarcane farmers have pressed Sugar Council officials for answers over the long-delayed licensing of CN Sugar Company, whose factory project in Kifuyo Village, Buyinja Sub-county has remained largely inactive for about three years, according to Watchdog Uganda. The farmers said the stalled project has left them without a dependable buyer for their cane and has increased their reliance on middlemen and distant factories, which they say pay poorly and raise transport costs.

The dispute surfaced during a tense meeting at the site, which brought together farmers, local leaders, Sugar Council representatives, officials from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, and representatives of sugar companies including CN Sugar, Bugiri Sugar and Kakira Sugar. Watchdog Uganda reported that the farmers also accused some council members of making repeated visits to the project while allegedly seeking money from investors, though those claims were not independently verified at the meeting.

The article says construction at the CN Sugar site has largely stopped, with equipment idle and parts of the land overgrown. Local leaders argued the factory would create jobs, support cane growers and boost local revenue if it became operational. Namayingo district leaders warned they could reconsider promoting sugarcane if the licensing deadlock continues. In response, Sugar Council official Robert Atugonza said the council was assessing what remains before operations can begin and would submit a report, while noting that objections from other sugar companies and land-related concerns have contributed to the delay.