In a strong show of support for agricultural development in Uganda, Sunbelt Industries Ltd, a Chinese-led industrial firm based in Namanve, has donated 120 tapelines to the Busoga Consortium for Development (BCD) to support post-harvest handling in selected Village Agriculture Model (VAM) villages.
The donation was officially handed over by Mr. Zhu Xu Sheng, the Director and Manager of Sunbelt Industries, to Mr. Mula Anthony, the Director General of the Busoga Consortium, in the presence of Hon. Stephen Kisa, Member of Parliament for Luuka South, and Counsel Buwande Anthony Legal Advisor BCD.
The handover ceremony, held at Sunbelt’s facility in Namanve, comes at a time when Busoga is harvesting its first major soya bean crop under the VAM initiative.
The 120 tapelines durable tarpaulins used for drying and protecting crops are expected to significantly reduce post-harvest losses and improve the quality of produce across pilot villages in Kamuli, Namayingo, and Mayuge districts.
“We are committed to strengthening our partnership with Busoga and supporting the region’s journey toward agricultural modernization,” said Mr. Zhu Xu Sheng, as he handed over the tapelines to the consortium officials.
The Village Agriculture Model (VAM) project is a homegrown initiative led by the Busoga Consortium to empower rural communities through structured, high-value farming practices. Soya bean farming was recently introduced as a key crop, and the ongoing harvest marks a major milestone in the project’s implementation.
Receiving the tapelines, Mr. Mula Anthony thanked Sunbelt Industries for their timely intervention and emphasized the importance of proper post-harvest handling.
“Many of our farmers lose up to 40% of their produce due to poor drying and storage practices. These tapelines will help ensure quality, preserve value, and improve incomes for our rural households,” he noted.
Hon. Steven Kisa also commended the collaboration and reaffirmed his commitment to lobbying for more government involvement and investment in Busoga’s rural transformation agenda.
The equipment will be distributed to selected VAM model villages to assist farmer groups, particularly those engaged in bulk soya production, with proper drying during this harvesting season.
This gesture is part of a broader partnership between the Busoga Consortium and Sunbelt Industries. Mr. Mula revealed that discussions are ongoing to expand this collaboration into coffee farming and agro-processing, including a potential land donation to Sunbelt for the installation of processing machinery in Busoga.
Background:
The Village Agriculture Model (VAM) was launched by the Busoga Consortium for Development to modernize agriculture through value addition, mechanization, youth involvement, and strategic partnerships.
The project is currently ongoing in selected model villages in Busana, Kamuli, Namayombe, Namayingo, and Mashiaga Mayuge and is gradually expanding across the Busoga sub-region.
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