Matooke Republic
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
  • Home
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Gossip
  • Features
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Photos
  • Relationships
Matooke Republic
  • Home
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Gossip
  • Features
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Photos
  • Relationships
No Result
View All Result
Matooke Republic
No Result
View All Result

Grace Wamala earns much more from growing upland rice than he used to get from vegetables

Matooke Republic by Matooke Republic
April 20, 2018
in Business, Farming
Reading Time: 3 mins read
31
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Grace Wamala is a resident of Kasawo in Mukono whose decision to switch from growing  tomatoes to upland rice has been most rewarding, writes Paul Jjemba.

Grace Wamala is now one of the happiest farmers in his locality despite the fact that his start was bumpy, the 29-year-old told Matooke Republic during a one on one interview. 

RELATED POSTS

Jacob Kiplimo shines at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked as new Galaxy Watch 8 launches

Pearl Tower One: Meera Investments unveils Kampala’s landmark Grade-A office building

“All through my Bachelor’s in Business Administration course at Kyambogo University, I desired to do a venture where I could still be the main source of supply of the products I sell (selling what I can produce). This is how farming became my number one choice when it was time to start a business,” Wamala told us.

At this point in time—around 2013, Wamala hardly had any basics that would be required of one getting into commercial farming, but the advantage of free family land in Kayunga meant he would exercise his dream by trying to grow this crop or the other before finding out what is exactly was suitable for him at the cheapest cost.

“I began with growing cabbages and tomatoes in my first and second seasons respectively, but the major challenge here was that I would get very low returns yet I was investing a lot of energy. This came as a result of many growers in the field, meaning the supply was higher than the demand and since I was dealing with perishables, I couldn’t keep them in the interest of waiting for better seasons ahead,” he said.

With his hopes fading, Wamala said he even thought of quitting farming, but opportunity came sooner than later when a family friend advised him to grow upland rice since it had a ready market both in the village and in town.

“With the few basic lessons I was given about rice in particular, I realised the process was easy, but because I didn’t have any experience about the crop,  I decided to begin with only one acre field,” he recalled.

“I went to a farming shop in town and bought  two kilograms of upland rice seeds which I first planted in a nursery bed and in a period of three weeks, the seedlings were ready to be transplanted to the main garden. I did the transplanting myself. The next thing was to hire a labourer after a few months  whom I paid Shs70,000 to scare away birds during the flowering stage,” Wamala explained.

His first harvest season was due in three weeks’ time after flowering. This was in 2016. “The returns I got here yet in my first harvest season motivated me. I harvested 10 sacks of rice from which after a three-week drying period I was left with seven sacks. I took them to the nearby hulling machine for hulling.

“I realised profits of about Shs1.1m after selling each kilogram at Shs3000.”

The advantage with upland rice as opposed to the rest of the other crops, according to Wamala, is that it has a ready market right from the hulling machines. It is both a cereal and a food crop and unlike the lowland rice, it can thrive on dry soils.

Ever since he invested efforts in growing this type of rice, Wamala admits he made the best decision ever, and is no longer worried about what to feed his home. In fact, he even opened a wholesale shop in Mukono selling foods two years into this venture. 

Even though he encounters challenges of birds eating up the flowers during the flowering stage and the cost of hiring labourers to scare them away being very high, Wamala said he is has big expectations from his rice field which measures three acres and from which he expects to earn about Shs7m.

Related

Share12Tweet8Send
Matooke Republic

Matooke Republic

Freshly peeled info from area code 256

Related Posts

Taxi driver in TikTok stunt involving passenger on vehicle roof enjoying drinks arrested; says he was paid Shs20k for the gig

by Matooke Republic
9 hours ago

...

Don Chris.

Number of victims scammed by Don Chris rises to 350, amount of money lost now stands at Shs2 billion

by Matooke Republic
10 hours ago

...

Akon City project in Senegal officially scrapped after the singer managed to construct only one building

by William Kasoba
10 hours ago

...

Renewed National ID cards ready for collection, says NIRA

by Matooke Republic
12 hours ago

...

World Health Organisation endorses twice-yearly HIV prevention injection

by Matooke Republic
13 hours ago

...

Next Post

Anyone’s title: The Azam UPL title race is wide open

PHOTOS: Catherine Kusasira's introduction ceremony

RECOMMENDED

Taxi driver in TikTok stunt involving passenger on vehicle roof enjoying drinks arrested; says he was paid Shs20k for the gig

July 15, 2025
Don Chris.

Number of victims scammed by Don Chris rises to 350, amount of money lost now stands at Shs2 billion

July 15, 2025
  • 643 Followers
  • 23.9k Followers

MOST VIEWED

  • Here is how to use NIRA’s new online portal to register or renew your national ID

    3967 shares
    Share 1587 Tweet 992
  • DNA test confirms late MP Ssegirinya was father to only 4 of 9 children presented after his death

    102 shares
    Share 41 Tweet 26
  • Kampala University proprietor Prof Kateregga’s wife rejects DNA results indicating one of three children is not his, demands fresh test in the United States

    96 shares
    Share 38 Tweet 24
  • Properties owned by late billionaire Aponye at risk of auction over Shs15 billion loan arrears

    79 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • Pastor Bugingo’s daughter Doreen Gift awarded scholarship to Arizona State University in the US

    62 shares
    Share 25 Tweet 16
Matooke Republic

Uganda's only free Newspaper. Out every Thursday. Freshly peeled info. kiwatule, Kampala, Uganda.

  • Home
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Gossip
  • Features
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Photos

© Matooke Republic 2024

© Matooke Republic 2024

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.