Farmers in Busoga Sub-region are losing up to 40 percent of their grain harvest due to poor farming, handling and storage practices. This costs them millions of shillings while exposing consumers to dangerous levels of aflatoxin contamination.
Experts say the losses, which occur across the entire value chain, are undermining food security, reducing farmer incomes and limiting Uganda’s competitiveness in regional grain markets. Mr Humphrey Mutasa, the chief technical advisor at the Uganda Grain Council, said aflatoxin contamination has become widespread in grain-producing districts across Busoga, making the sub-region one of the most affected in the country. ‘There is widespread aflatoxin contamination in Busoga. The sub-region has some of the poorest quality grain in the country due to poor handling practices throughout the value chain,’ Mr Mutasa said.
Aflatoxin is a toxic substance produced by moulds, which grow on improperly dried and stored grain. It has been linked to serious health complications, including liver cancer. Mr Mutasa said grain losses begin right from planting due to poor seed selection and continue through harvesting, transportation, drying and storage. ‘Farmers are losing food at every stage. Some losses occur during harvesting, others during transportation, drying and storage. By the time the grain reaches the market, farmers have already lost between 38 and 40 percent of their harvest,’ he said. The Uganda Grain Council estimates that farmers only recover about 60 percent of what they produce, largely due to failure to follow recommended agronomic and post-harvest practices. Mr Mutasa attributed the high losses to inadequate farmer training, weak enforcement of quality standards and poor market organisation.
He noted that many farmers continue to dry grain on bare ground, transport it in inappropriate containers, and store it in poorly ventilated facilities, conditions that encourage mould growth and pest infestation. ‘When grain is not properly dried and stored, mould develops and aflatoxin contamination sets in. This not only affects market access but also poses serious health risks to consumers,’ he said. The council is now urging farmers to adopt proper drying and storage technologies, and to organise themselves into groups to improve access to markets. Mr Mutasa said Uganda has a strong regional market for quality grain, especially in neighbouring countries such as Kenya, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. ‘Uganda is the food basket of the region. The market is there, but farmers must produce grain that meets required standards,’ he said.
Mr Mutasa called on the government to strengthen agricultural extension services, enforce grain quality regulations and expand access to affordable financing for farmers. Experts warn that unless post-harvest losses and food safety concerns are addressed, Uganda risks losing both domestic and export opportunities despite its agricultural potential. Mr Godfrey Omony, the project manager of the Re-Gain Project at Farm Africa, said poor harvesting, drying and storage practices continue to contribute significantly to grain losses in Busoga. The Re-Gain Project (Scaling Solutions for Food Loss in Africa) is a major regional initiative spearheaded by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to drastically reduce post-harvest losses and boost climate resilience across seven African nations, including Uganda.
Mr Omony said studies show that farmers lose about 40 percent of their grain after harvest, significantly reducing household incomes and threatening food security. ‘Late harvesting, drying grain on bare ground, and poor storage remain some of the major causes of post-harvest losses. A significant amount of grain is lost before it reaches the market,’ he said. Mr Omony noted that the Re-Gain Project is working with more than 76,000 smallholder farmers across seven districts in Busoga to promote improved post-harvest handling technologies. These include tarpaulins, airtight storage bags, grain moisture testers, grain harvesting machines, and storage silos, all aimed at reducing grain losses and improving quality.
Mr Omony said research has shown that proper post-harvest practices can reduce losses to below 10 percent, significantly increasing farmers’ incomes. ‘The studies show that farmers who adopt improved drying and storage technologies significantly reduce losses. The grain saved translates directly into more income and improved livelihoods,’ he said. He added that the project is also building the capacity of village-based advisors and farmer groups to improve awareness and access to post-harvest technologies.
Mr Omony warned that failure to address post-harvest challenges could worsen food insecurity, malnutrition and loss of market opportunities in the region. Ms Winnie Daisy, the partnership manager at Equator Seeds, said seed quality plays a major role in determining both yield and grain quality. She noted that farmers using certified improved seed varieties can harvest up to 2.5 tonnes of maize per acre compared to about 500 kilogrammes from recycled or home-saved seed. ‘Quality grain begins with quality seed. Farmers who plant improved seed varieties benefit from higher yields, better grain quality, and increased resistance to pests and diseases,’ Ms Daisy said. She added that some improved maize varieties are drought-tolerant and less prone to rotting in the field, reducing the risk of aflatoxin contamination before harvest.
‘When maize cobs begin rotting in the field, they become vulnerable to aflatoxin contamination and pest attacks. Improved varieties help farmers minimise such losses,’ she said. However, Ms Daisy observed that many farmers continue to recycle seed from previous harvests, a practice that reduces productivity and compromises quality. ‘Many farmers still plant grain saved from previous harvests instead of certified seed. This affects yields and limits the benefits of improved farming technologies,’ she said. Ms Daisy also cited poor agronomic practices, inadequate fertiliser use and declining soil fertility as key constraints affecting productivity. She called on the government to subsidise agricultural inputs and strengthen community grain aggregation centres equipped with drying and storage facilities.
‘If farmers are to benefit from quality seed, they must also have access to proper drying facilities, storage technologies, and reliable markets,’ she said. Mr Noah Ssozi, an agronomist working with Equator Seeds under the AGRA-supported project, said many farmers lose a significant portion of their harvest within days after leaving the garden due to poor handling. ‘Farmers spend about four months growing a crop but can lose much of their investment within three days after harvesting if proper post-harvest practices are not followed,’ Mr Ssozi said. He explained that losses often begin during transportation, where produce is poorly handled, leading to spillage and damage. The situation is worsened by drying grain on bare ground, which exposes it to moisture, soil contamination and stones, increasing the risk of aflatoxin development.
‘When grain is dried on the ground, it absorbs moisture and gets contaminated. This creates favourable conditions for fungal growth,’ he said. Mr Ssozi noted that maize is the most affected crop in Busoga due to low awareness of proper post-harvest technologies. He urged farmers to harvest at the right time, warning that delayed harvesting exposes crops to pests, while premature harvesting increases moisture content, encouraging fungal infections. Mr Ssozi said proper drying is critical in preserving grain quality and improving storage life. ‘Well-dried grain develops a hard-outer layer that reduces pest infestation and limits fungal growth. This improves both storage life and marketability,’ he said. He warned that consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated grain poses serious health risks, including liver cancer, and can lead to rejection of produce in regional markets.
Mr Ssozi encouraged farmers to adopt affordable technologies such as tarpaulins and hermetic storage bags to reduce losses. Mr David Wozemba, the Country Director of AGRA Uganda, said the Re-Gain Project was designed in response to high food losses across Africa, where farmers lose up to half of their produce after harvest.
‘These losses deny farmers income, reduce food availability, and undermine food security,’ he said. He noted that the initiative aligns with Uganda’s national development priorities and is being implemented in partnership with the government. Mr Wozemba stressed that reducing post-harvest losses requires participation from all actors in the agricultural value chain, including farmers, traders, processors, financiers and input suppliers.
‘We must create incentives for every actor in the agricultural ecosystem to invest in reducing food losses,’ he said. He added that the private sector plays a central role in ensuring sustainability through provision of services, technologies and market access. ‘The private sector is critical in driving adoption of technologies and improving access to markets,’ he said.
Mr Wozemba said improving post-harvest handling systems would strengthen food security, increase farmer incomes, and enhance Uganda’s competitiveness in regional and international grain markets. According to the Uganda Grain Council, Uganda produces 2.8-3.4 million metric tonnes of maize annually, but post-harvest losses mean only 30-40 percent of the demand for 1.2 million metric tonnes of maize and 650,000 metric tonnes of beans is met.