Cotton paid for Rwomubuza John’s children’s education and helped him build rental houses that now provide his family with an additional source of income.
The farmer from Kitabu Cell in Muhokya Sub-county cultivates more than six acres, continuing an agricultural tradition that has supported generations of families in Uganda’s Kasese District in the country’s west near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Cotton has done a lot for my family. It educated my children and helped me invest in rental property,” Rwomubuza says.
His children have also taken up cotton farming, making the crop part of the family’s continuing economic activity.
Across Kasese, cotton remains an important source of cash income. But farmers and agricultural officials say its ability to generate livelihoods could be strengthened through expanded irrigation, improved seed varieties, more affordable agricultural inputs and a pricing system that gives growers greater certainty.
Three ginneries operate in the district: Rwenzori Cotton Ginnery in Nyakatonzi, Hamudani Ginnery and Mundawulira Ginnery. All three are located within Kasese Municipality and provide a ready market for cotton grown in areas including Nyamwamba Division, Muhokya Sub-county and Mubuku Town Council.
The presence of these buyers, an established community of growers and planned irrigation improvements gives Kasese a base from which to rebuild the crop’s competitiveness.
An established source of household income
Cotton is generally planted between July and August, depending on the arrival of the rains, and harvested between February and March.
For farmers such as Rwomubuza, the crop has already demonstrated its ability to turn farm production into longer-term household assets. He believes better returns would encourage families to continue investing in it.
“Cotton requires a lot of labour and expensive chemicals,” he says. “The government should ensure farmers receive better prices.”
In Rukoki Cell in Nyamwamba Division, Mwesige Eric grows cotton on four acres. He says the crop remains the backbone of many households and a family business passed from one generation to another.
However, cotton requires substantial investment. Farmers may weed their fields up to six times during a season and must spray regularly to control pests and diseases. The crop currently takes about six months to mature.
Mwesige says reducing input costs and giving farmers a stronger role in price discussions would make cultivation more attractive.
“The government should bring farmers and buyers together to agree on a fair price per kilogram,” he says.
He estimates that farmers have generally received between UGX1,500 and UGX2,000 (approximately US$0.40–US$0.53) per kilogram in recent years, while pesticide and other input costs have increased.
Because cotton is a cash crop rather than a food crop, growers depend on the income from their harvest to recover these costs. More predictable prices would help them plan their production and decide how much land to allocate to cotton.
Mwesige says prices announced around planting time can also differ from those offered at harvest. Greater transparency between growers, ginners and other industry players could reduce this uncertainty.
Irrigation could extend the opportunity
One of the biggest opportunities lies in reducing the industry’s dependence on rainfall.
Most cotton-growing areas in Kasese are rain-fed. Shifting rainfall patterns have made it increasingly difficult for farmers to determine the best time to plant.
Adrian Katwetegeke, regional field officer for the Uganda Cotton Ginners and Exporters Association, supports cotton production and marketing in Kasese, Rubirizi and Kamwenge districts.
He says rains would normally begin in July or around the middle of the month, enabling planting to start. In 2026, however, the rains arrived later than expected and had not provided sufficient moisture by late July.
“The rains have changed. Many farmers are anxious and want to plant immediately after receiving a small amount of rainfall, but the soil is still too dry,” Katwetegeke says.
He advises farmers to prepare their land and secure quality seed, but to wait until sufficient rain has fallen before planting. Light showers followed by a prolonged dry spell can prevent seeds from germinating or damage young plants.
Better access to weather information and planting guidance could help farmers respond more effectively to these shifting conditions.
In the longer term, Katwetegeke believes expanded irrigation could transform production by allowing farmers to plant with greater confidence and protect their crops during dry periods.
The Mubuku Irrigation Scheme already demonstrates the potential of irrigated agriculture in the district, although its reach remains limited.
“It is our wish that irrigation infrastructure is expanded to cover more cotton-growing areas so farmers who want to irrigate can access the service,” he says.
Kasese District Principal Agricultural Officer Julius Rukara says the government has plans to expand irrigation around areas including Mubuku Prison Farm, an important cotton-producing zone that frequently experiences extended dry spells.
If implemented, the expansion could help farmers maintain production despite less predictable rainfall. It could also make investment in seed, chemicals and labour less risky.
Faster-maturing cotton could reduce climate risk
Improved cotton varieties present another opportunity.
Rukara has called on Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation to develop varieties that mature in three to four months rather than the approximately six months currently required.
“If shorter-maturing varieties are developed, farmers will be able to harvest even when rainfall is limited,” he says.
A shorter production cycle could allow farmers to take advantage of increasingly narrow rainy seasons, reduce their exposure to drought and earn income sooner. Improved varieties would need to be accompanied by effective extension services so growers know how to cultivate them and manage pests.
Katwetegeke says timely spraying and adherence to recommended farming practices can already help farmers reduce avoidable losses.
Supporting growers with affordable inputs, suitable seed and practical agricultural advice could therefore raise yields while lowering the cost of producing each kilogram of cotton.
Building a stronger market for farmers.
Kasese’s three ginneries give the district processing infrastructure and established buyers. However, farmers say the limited number of buyers can leave them with little bargaining power.
Uganda exports much of its cotton, linking the prices paid to farmers to movements in the international market.
Katwetegeke says growers received approximately UGX1,500 (US$0.40) to UGX1,700 (US$0.45) per kilogram last season, compared with about UGX1,900 (US$0.51) in the preceding season and roughly UGX2,000 (US$0.53) in earlier years.
That exposure to global prices cannot be eliminated entirely, but closer coordination between farmers, ginners and government could improve transparency and help growers understand how local prices are calculated.
Farmer associations or cooperatives could also aggregate production, purchase inputs collectively and give growers a stronger voice in negotiations. However, the story still needs direct reporting from an existing association or cooperative to establish whether such organisation is already taking place in Kasese.
Cotton is also competing for land with cocoa, vanilla and coffee, which Rukara says currently offer farmers attractive prices and more dependable markets.
Rather than signalling the end of cotton, that competition establishes the conditions the sector must meet: it must provide farmers with competitive returns, manageable production costs and greater certainty.
Turning cotton’s history into its next opportunity
Kasese already possesses several of the foundations needed for a stronger cotton economy: experienced farmers, three operating ginneries, established growing areas and a crop with a proven ability to finance education and household investment.
The next step is to strengthen the conditions under which farmers produce it.
Expanded irrigation could protect crops from unreliable rainfall. Faster-maturing varieties could shorten the production cycle. Affordable inputs and stronger extension support could improve yields, while transparent pricing and greater farmer organisation could ensure that growers retain a fairer share of the crop’s value.
For farmers such as Rwomubuza, cotton’s contribution is not theoretical. It can be seen in the children he educated, the property he built and the next generation that has joined the family enterprise.
Unlocking the same opportunity for more families will depend on converting the interventions now being discussed into practical support in Kasese’s cotton-growing communities.
