Budget:

As Uganda’s most impoverished place, our region Busoga is one big mess, and — as I said earlier — most remote rural communities are always dead silent, with nothing whatsoever in place to end poverty.

For this reason, my goal is to develop an integrated agro-processing plant that can work with rural poor farmers across Busoga as a whole, and one that can help these farmers diversify their incomes as much as possible, by creating reliable market linkages for more than one type of crop — placing these farmers on a self-sustainable path from poverty.

Here are 6 alternative goals, and the work that we will do at each level.

a). Goal one: $240k.

If $240k is all I can raise, we will only install a cereal/grain cleaning facility that will work with rural farmers in only our two neighboring districts (Kamuli & Buyende), on only two crops: sorghum and maize.

Busoga has eleven (11) very vast districts. Kamuli and Buyende are two neighboring districts that altogether have ~160k households, and over a million people, across an area of 3,300 sq km.

The UCF is already running a white sorghum project in Kamuli and Buyende, and the most immediate result from the installation of this facility will be mass adoption of white sorghum across both districts. This facility will also put our farmer’s grains on a level where all big buyers (breweries; relief agencies etc) will see us as strategic partners.

The $240k, however, doesn’t include any budget for farmer support.

Although the absence of reliable markets is the principal challenge we are striving to address, creating reliable market linkages isn’t simply about installing a plant or finding buyers. It is also about changing the rural poor farmers’ overall agronomic systems (new inputs, training & ongoing extension services, post-harvest management practices etc).

However, most farmers in our region are chronically poor, and can’t afford the needed inputs on their own. So, providing our target farmers with initial inputs (only as a hand-up), along with technical training & other extension services, is part of the UCF’s pre-existing community work, and is part of the overall Business Model for our intended plant.

b). Goal two: $620k.

If $620k is the maximum I can raise, we will still work with rural poor farmers in only our 2 neighboring districts Kamuli & Buyende, but on 3 crops: sorghum, maize, and cassava. Here is what this money will do:

A cereal/grain cleaning facility — a basic one with no silos, conveyor belts, and similar accessories, at a cost of $240k.
A relatively small cassava starch/tapioca facility (of 24 ton/day), but one with superior equipment from Europe: $380k – $450k.
Note: at this level, our budget will still have no allocation for farmer support. Also, a total budget of $620k is based on a conservative estimate that we will be able to get a small (24 ton/hr) cassava starch facility for $380k, but in reality, this will cost at least $450k.

c) Goal three: $1m.

If $1m is the maximum I can raise, we will still work with rural farmers in only Kamuli & Buyende, on 3 crops: sorghum, maize, and cassava — but with 4 different products (including High Quality Cassava Flour).

A cereal/grain cleaning facility — a basic one with no silos, conveyor belts, and similar accessories, at a cost of $240k.
A relatively small cassava starch/tapioca facility (of 24 ton/day), but one with superior equipment from Europe: $380k – $450k.
A system for making High Quality Cassava Flour, for ~ $200k.
Farmer support: $100k.

d) Goal four: $15m.

At this level, our plant size, and our capacity, will still be limited.

So, we will still work with rural farmers only in Kamuli & Buyende, but on 6 – 7 different crops (sorghum, maize, cassava, mango, pineapples, passion fruits, and oranges).

A cereal/grain cleaning facility — a basic one with no silos, conveyor belts, and similar accessories, at a cost of $240k.
A relatively small cassava starch/tapioca facility (of 24 ton/day), but one with superior equipment from Europe: $380k – $450k.
A system for making High Quality Cassava Flour, for ~ $200k.
A 6 ton/hour fruit facility that will turn our farmers’ fruits into both intermediate products (purees/concentrates) & finished juice: $14m
Farmer support: $100,000. (note: with $15m in total, our $100k budget for farmer support will be very insufficient for the work that we will be doing with local farmers at this level).
Also, at this level, the plant’s own operations will be really very demanding, and will warrant a separate budget for working capital. The $15m, however, doesn’t include any allocation for working capital.

e) Goal five: $45m.

At this level, we will have a more superior plant that will work with rural poor farmers in 4 districts (Kamuli, Buyende, Luuka, and Kaliro), on 6 – 7 different crops: sorghum, maize, cassava, mango, pineapples, passion fruits, and oranges.

The 4 districts together make up over 5,000 sq km, or half of Busoga.

A 3 ton/hour (or 72 ton/day) cassava starch facility: $2.4m
A 12 ton/hour fruit processing plant: $28m
A cereal/grain sorting, grading and threshing facility: $240k
A High Quality Cassava Flour facility: $200k
Farmer support (planting materials, training & ongoing extension services): $2m over 4 years.
Green energy (i.e., a 500 kW – 1,000 kW solar system): $600k (this will only supplement Mains electricity, and will help with the frequent load shedding in Uganda, and also cut our emissions by at least 25%).
Working capital: $12m over 4 years.

f) Goal six: $200m.

Given the grip of poverty here, this is what I’d like to raise. At this level, we will have a first-of-its-kind plant in our region, and the capacity to work with rural poor farmers across Busoga as a whole, placing these farmers on a self-sufficient path from poverty by providing them with initial inputs, training & ongoing extension services, & a ready market.

Farmer support: $9m
A cereal/grain sorting, grading and threshing system — complete with its own silos, elevators, conveyor belts etc — at a cost of $12m.
A cassava starch/tapioca facility: $15m
A High Quality Cassava Flour facility of ~200 t/hr, enough to work with farmers across Busoga, alongside the starch facility above: $9m
A fruit processing facility: $130m
Working capital: $25m.

What we will do differently if I raise $200m:

Altogether, our intended plant will have 4 different components: A cereal/grain clean facility; a cassava starch/tapioca facility; a High Quality Cassava Flour Facility, and a Fruit facility.

If I raise $200m, we will have a plant that will not only work with rural poor farmers across Busoga as a whole, but also, each of the above four components will have the capacity to independently employ hundreds of people on its own, and to consume given types of crops from farmers throughout Busoga, employing hundreds of thousands in the process.

For example, the cassava starch facility alone that we will have at this level, will be able to consume all the cassava produced by farmers across Busoga as a whole. The fruit facility alone, at this level, will be able to consume all the fruits produced by farmers across Busoga as a whole. Our cereal/grain facility, at this level, will be able to handle all the grain produce from farmers across Busoga as a whole, and so on.

Here is a detailed description of what $200m will do:

a). Farmer support: $9m

All other parts of Uganda are known for large plantations of particular crops, but Busoga isn’t known for any, except sugarcane, a crop that has only exacerbated poverty and food insecurity due to monoculture.

If I raise $200m, my goal is to ensure that, by the time I exit this planet, every part of Busoga, a region the size of Gambia, is renowned for large plantations of mango; oranges, passion fruits, pineapples, sorghum, cassava, among others. To this end, we will employ various strategies.

Also, to maximize our budget for farmer support, and ensure that we can reach as many rural poor farmers as possible, we will leverage the support that we are raising now, to bring in as many other potential partners as possible, for example the government’s Operation Wealth Creation initiative, to enable farmers access free planting materials. We will seek such partnerships as soon as our plant gets off the ground.

b). A cereal/grain sorting, grading and threshing system — complete with its own silos, elevators, conveyor belts etc — at a cost of $12m.

Below is one such system that was installed in Uganda by UK firm Alvan Blanch, the same firm that we plan to work with on our intended plant.

At this level, our cereal/grain facility will be big enough that it will also work on a few other crops (beans; soya beans, millet etc), enabling us to create market linkages for over 10 different crops. At this level, our cereal/grain facility will not only be cleaning produce, but also, it will have a milling section for turning grain crops into high quality flours that may be used by humanitarian agencies, schools, or for export.

Most importantly, at this level, our cereal/grain facility alone will be able to employ hundreds of people at the facility’s premises itself, and to consume all the grains from farmers across Busoga as a whole, employing hundreds of thousands of rural poor farmers in the process.

c). A cassava starch/tapioca facility: $15m

Our cassava starch/tapioca facility alone, at this level, will have the capacity to employ hundreds of people on its own, and to consume all the cassava from farmers across Busoga as a whole — employing hundreds of thousands of rural poor households in the process.

d). A High Quality Cassava Flour facility of ~200 t/hr, enough to work with farmers across Busoga, alongside the starch facility above: $9m

e). A fruit processing facility: $130m

A fruit facility will be one of core components of our intended plant.

Given the level of poverty in our region, we would need a fruit facility that can consume all the fruits (mango, pineapples, oranges & passion) from farmers across Busoga, and one with a sound enough capacity to make us ideal partners for big buyers from the food/beverage industry.

The Benfruit Plant in Nigeria, for example, has an annual capacity of 26.5 million tons, equivalent to 3,025 ton/hour, and is one of the few fruit plants in Africa that have had longstanding connections with Coca Cola, as supplier for products like purees & concentrates. A fruit facility of this size is what would both create the most impact on the grip of poverty in a region like ours, besides enabling us to find big buyers.

Though we may not get a fruit facility the size of Benfruit, with $130m, we will have a facility with the capacity to run 60 – 100 tons/hour (or 1,440 – 2,400 ton/day), and it will be among the biggest in East Africa.

f). Working capital: $25m

This is the money that will be needed to run the plant’s operations (administration; buying produce from farmers etc). We envision that this money will take us to a point where our plant will be having it’s own sufficient internal incomes, which we anticipate in 3-5 years.

Again, the entire plant will be 80% owned by the rural poor farmers in Busoga who will be growing the crops that this plant will be working on, with the other 20% owned by the UCF as a way of sustaining our underlying work of training & supporting poor farmers in our region.

Once this plant starts generating its own incomes, the 80% and 20% ownership by local farmers and the UCF respectively will be calculated after deducting the plant’s operating costs, including working capital.

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I’d be very humbled if you can help me use my remaining time on earth to rein in the yoke of poverty in Uganda’s most impoverished region.

Budget:

As Uganda’s most impoverished place, our region Busoga is one big mess, and — as I said earlier — most remote rural communities are always dead silent, with nothing whatsoever in place to end poverty.

Here are 6 alternative goals, and the work that we will do at each level.

a). Goal one: $240k.

If $240k is all I can raise, we will only install a cereal/grain cleaning facility that will work with rural farmers in only our two neighboring districts (Kamuli & Buyende), on only two crops: sorghum and maize.

Busoga has eleven (11) very vast districts. Kamuli and Buyende are two neighboring districts that altogether have ~160k households, and over a million people, across an area of 3,300 sq km.

The $240k, however, doesn’t include any budget for farmer support.

b). Goal two: $620k.

If $620k is the maximum I can raise, we will still work with rural poor farmers in only our 2 neighboring districts Kamuli & Buyende, but on 3 crops: sorghum, maize, and cassava. Here is what this money will do:

A cereal/grain cleaning facility — a basic one with no silos, conveyor belts, and similar accessories, at a cost of $240k.

A relatively small cassava starch/tapioca facility (of 24 ton/day), but one with superior equipment from Europe: $380k – $450k.

Note: at this level, our budget will still have no allocation for farmer support. Also, a total budget of $620k is based on a conservative estimate that we will be able to get a small (24 ton/hr) cassava starch facility for $380k, but in reality, this will cost at least $450k.

c) Goal three: $1m.

If $1m is the maximum I can raise, we will still work with rural farmers in only Kamuli & Buyende, on 3 crops: sorghum, maize, and cassava — but with 4 different products (including High Quality Cassava Flour).

A cereal/grain cleaning facility — a basic one with no silos, conveyor belts, and similar accessories, at a cost of $240k.

A relatively small cassava starch/tapioca facility (of 24 ton/day), but one with superior equipment from Europe: $380k – $450k.

A system for making High Quality Cassava Flour, for ~ $200k.

Farmer support: $100k.

d) Goal four: $15m.

At this level, our plant size, and our capacity, will still be limited.

So, we will still work with rural farmers only in Kamuli & Buyende, but on 6 – 7 different crops (sorghum, maize, cassava, mango, pineapples, passion fruits, and oranges).

A cereal/grain cleaning facility — a basic one with no silos, conveyor belts, and similar accessories, at a cost of $240k.

A relatively small cassava starch/tapioca facility (of 24 ton/day), but one with superior equipment from Europe: $380k – $450k.

A system for making High Quality Cassava Flour, for ~ $200k.

A 6 ton/hour fruit facility that will turn our farmers’ fruits into both intermediate products (purees/concentrates) & finished juice: $14m

Farmer support: $100,000. (note: with $15m in total, our $100k budget for farmer support will be very insufficient for the work that we will be doing with local farmers at this level).

Also, at this level, the plant’s own operations will be really very demanding, and will warrant a separate budget for working capital. The $15m, however, doesn’t include any allocation for working capital.

e) Goal five: $45m.

At this level, we will have a more superior plant that will work with rural poor farmers in 4 districts (Kamuli, Buyende, Luuka, and Kaliro), on 6 – 7 different crops: sorghum, maize, cassava, mango, pineapples, passion fruits, and oranges.

The 4 districts together make up over 5,000 sq km, or half of Busoga.

A 3 ton/hour (or 72 ton/day) cassava starch facility: $2.4m

A 12 ton/hour fruit processing plant: $28m

A cereal/grain sorting, grading and threshing facility: $240k

A High Quality Cassava Flour facility: $200k

Farmer support (planting materials, training & ongoing extension services): $2m over 4 years.

Green energy (i.e., a 500 kW – 1,000 kW solar system): $600k (this will only supplement Mains electricity, and will help with the frequent load shedding in Uganda, and also cut our emissions by at least 25%).

Working capital: $12m over 4 years.

f) Goal six: $200m.

Farmer support: $9m

A cereal/grain sorting, grading and threshing system — complete with its own silos, elevators, conveyor belts etc — at a cost of $12m.

A cassava starch/tapioca facility: $15m

A High Quality Cassava Flour facility of ~200 t/hr, enough to work with farmers across Busoga, alongside the starch facility above: $9m

A fruit processing facility: $130m

Working capital: $25m.

What we will do differently if I raise $200m:

Altogether, our intended plant will have 4 different components: A cereal/grain clean facility; a cassava starch/tapioca facility; a High Quality Cassava Flour Facility, and a Fruit facility.

Here is a detailed description of what $200m will do:

a). Farmer support: $9m

All other parts of Uganda are known for large plantations of particular crops, but Busoga isn’t known for any, except sugarcane, a crop that has only exacerbated poverty and food insecurity due to monoculture.

If I raise $200m, my goal is to ensure that, by the time I exit this planet, every part of Busoga, a region the size of Gambia, is renowned for large plantations of mango; oranges, passion fruits, pineapples, sorghum, cassava, among others. To this end, we will employ various strategies.

b). A cereal/grain sorting, grading and threshing system — complete with its own silos, elevators, conveyor belts etc — at a cost of $12m.

Below is one such system that was installed in Uganda by UK firm Alvan Blanch, the same firm that we plan to work with on our intended plant.

Most importantly, at this level, our cereal/grain facility alone will be able to employ hundreds of people at the facility’s premises itself, and to consume all the grains from farmers across Busoga as a whole, employing hundreds of thousands of rural poor farmers in the process.

c). A cassava starch/tapioca facility: $15m

Our cassava starch/tapioca facility alone, at this level, will have the capacity to employ hundreds of people on its own, and to consume all the cassava from farmers across Busoga as a whole — employing hundreds of thousands of rural poor households in the process.

d). A High Quality Cassava Flour facility of ~200 t/hr, enough to work with farmers across Busoga, alongside the starch facility above: $9m

e). A fruit processing facility: $130m

A fruit facility will be one of core components of our intended plant.

Given the level of poverty in our region, we would need a fruit facility that can consume all the fruits (mango, pineapples, oranges & passion) from farmers across Busoga, and one with a sound enough capacity to make us ideal partners for big buyers from the food/beverage industry.

Though we may not get a fruit facility the size of Benfruit, with $130m, we will have a facility with the capacity to run 60 – 100 tons/hour (or 1,440 – 2,400 ton/day), and it will be among the biggest in East Africa.

f). Working capital: $25m

This is the money that will be needed to run the plant’s operations (administration; buying produce from farmers etc). We envision that this money will take us to a point where our plant will be having it’s own sufficient internal incomes, which we anticipate in 3-5 years.

Again, the entire plant will be 80% owned by the rural poor farmers in Busoga who will be growing the crops that this plant will be working on, with the other 20% owned by the UCF as a way of sustaining our underlying work of training & supporting poor farmers in our region.

Once this plant starts generating its own incomes, the 80% and 20% ownership by local farmers and the UCF respectively will be calculated after deducting the plant’s operating costs, including working capital.

–

I’d be very humbled if you can help me use my remaining time on earth to rein in the yoke of poverty in Uganda’s most impoverished region.