Datetime: 2026-03-03 03:00:08 Visit: 6745
Northern Uganda’s economic recovery is being driven by a surge in oilseed cultivation, with sunflower and soybean crops transforming agriculture across the Acholi, Lango and Teso sub-regions. Once-subsistence plots are evolving into commercial enterprises, fueled by structured markets, organized cooperatives, and targeted public and private investment.
Oilseeds—once peripheral—have become central to Uganda’s strategy to slash its edible oil import bill and boost smallholder incomes. Crops including groundnuts, soya, simsim and sunflower have been grown in northern and eastern Uganda for over eight decades, serving as both food and cash crops. The sector initially thrived around cotton, groundnuts and simsim in the 1950s and 1960s, when sunflower and soybean were first introduced.
A sharp decline followed in the 1970s and 1980s, as imported palm oil dominated the domestic market. Political instability and rebel activity in the 1980s and 1990s further disrupted production, weakened cooperatives and stifled investment. Uganda, which relies on imports for around 70% of its edible oil needs—mostly palm oil from Malaysia—has long faced supply pressures amid global supply chain disruptions and price hikes.
Since the early 2000s, relative political stability and renewed public-private investment have sparked a revival. Farmer support services—delivered via government programs, NGOs and private processors—have expanded, driving the modernization of the longstanding oilseed sector rather than building it from scratch.
Uganda consumes an estimated 450,000 to 480,000 metric tonnes of vegetable oil annually, but domestic production meets only about 100,000 tonnes—leaving a deficit of over 350,000 tonnes. This gap, mostly filled by imports, drains foreign exchange while offering a critical opportunity for import substitution, as the country seeks to strengthen its edible oil security.
