Farmers lose over 300 million shs as floods hit Itek Okile Rice Scheme

29 September 2026, 1:27 pm

By Winnie Auma

Farmers at Itek Okile Rice Scheme in Lira District are counting losses of more than 300 million shillings after floods submerged over 200 hectares of rice-growing land.

Harris Okii, the chairperson of the Itek Okile Rice Scheme board, says about 30 percent of the scheme’s 800 hectares of land has been submerged by water, affecting hundreds of farmers.

Okii says the flooding has prevented many farmers from benefiting from the rice project, despite government investment of 52 million shillings to construct seven dams, open canals and improve 20 kilometres of roads within the scheme.

Okii says production at the scheme has increased following the introduction of a new rice variety from the National Agricultural Research Organisation, NARO, which matures faster and produces higher yields.

He says the new rice varieties, including NARO Rice 1 and U-KAFACI 39, take about three months to mature, allowing farmers to plant and harvest up to three times a year.

Okii says previously, farmers sold rice at about 1,100 shillings per kilogramme and produced more than 1.6 million kilogrammes, but expects production to double this season following the introduction of the new variety.

Meanwhile, Benson Ogwal, a farmer from Agali Sub-county, has asked government to provide more rice seed and address the flooding problem affecting production at the scheme.

Gladys Faith Etii, a sociologist at the Ministry of Water and Environment, says the ministry is processing a filter canal to help control the floods.

Etii says the intervention is expected to be implemented within three weeks but called for cooperation from the farmers.

Itek Okile Rice Scheme currently has more than 1,000 farmers organised in different groups.