Farmers in the Lango sub-region have voiced frustration over the persistent exploitation and manipulation by middlemen and produce dealers.

The farmers said the practice of middlemen reaping where they have not sown is causing significant distress among the farming community in the region where rural communities solely rely on farming.
Molly Atim, a farmer in Lira District, said the middlemen and produce dealers are currently taking advantage of the lack of marketing structures for agricultural produce and access to financial services to make huge profits at the expense of the farmers.
During planting season, Atim said agro-input dealers have been selling their products at exorbitant prices, only for produce dealers and middlemen to offer farmers low prices for their harvest.
This vicious cycle leaves farmers struggling to make ends meet despite their hard work and dedication to growing crops, as explained by Atim.
The Lango sub-region is known for its production of oilseeds such as soya beans and sunflower, along with other crops like maize, sim sim, beans, and cassava.
However, the disparity between the prices farmers receive and the prices at which produce is sold by dealers is stark.
For example, small-sized beans are bought from farmers in villages between shs1,500 and shs2,500 per kilogram but are sold by produce dealers at shs5,000 per kilogram
Similarly, maize is bought from farmers at shs700 per kilogram and sold by dealers at shs1,200 per kilogram.
Patrick Okello, a farmer of Aboke Sub-county in Kole District, said he was forced to sell off his ton of maize cheaply to the produce dealers due to a lack of ready markets
Okello said the government should consider supporting farmers with quality drying facilities for farmers’ produce to improve value addition.
Lira City East Division Mayor, George Okello Ayo, said the stronghold of middlemen and produce dealers has left farmers at the mercy of middlemen as they tend to control market access and capital flow.
Dorcus Alum, the Lira District Agricultural officer, said the districts are incapacitated to help farmers as there are no policies by the government.
Alum, however, advised farmers to form cooperatives that would help negotiate for better prices.