Abstract
Market-oriented farmers play a significant role in the rural agricultural sector in Uganda. However, these trader-farmers are often disadvantaged by limited access to information, services, appropriate technology and capital. These factors restrict their capacity to effectively participate in the marketing of their produce. In many instances farmers, including those in the potato innovation platforms (IPs) of Southwestern (SW) Uganda are relegated to the lower end of value chains where they are price takers with little bargaining power. Therefore they end up earning little margins while giant chain actors along the chain like middlemen have the power to determine prices paid by the final consumer and thus extract huge marketing margins. This study aimed at identifying marketing channels of potatoes from the farm to consumption; identifying marketing constraints faced by farmers and traders in the potato marketing chain in SW Uganda; and assessing the marketing performance of potato markets. Data were collected in July 2010 from 291 respondents in 2 IPs in SW Uganda. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise potato traders and farmers while Gross Margin Analysis was used to determine the market performance for different potato varieties. Purchase prices varied by district between UgSh350/kg for Rwashaki variety and UgSh531/kg for Kinigi variety. Sutama and Victoria varieties had the highest marketing margins in Kabale and Kisoro districts respectively. Key words: Marketing channels, marketing chains, marketing margin analysis, innovation platform, ware potato.
Highlights
In Uganda, potatoes1 are grown in the highland areas (1,500 - 3,000 masl)
This study aimed at identifying marketing channels of potatoes from the farm to consumption; identifying marketing constraints faced by farmers and traders in the potato marketing chain in SW Uganda; and assessing the marketing performance of potato markets
In Kabale, 63% of the traders and 49% of the farmers were in this age-group while for Kisoro, this age group formed 47% of the trader sub-sample and 60% of the farmer sub-sample (Table 2)
Summary
In Uganda, potatoes are grown in the highland areas (1,500 - 3,000 masl). The major production areas are Kabale and Kisoro districts in SW Uganda which produce the bulk of the crop. Kabale alone produces between 50 and 60% of the total annual ware potatoes consumed in Uganda. The 2 districts are followed in production by Mbale and Kapchorwa on the slopes of Mount Elgon in Eastern Uganda. Econ spread to other districts of Uganda (Ferris et al, 2002)
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