Gulu Agricultural Development Company
GADC is eager and willing to engage in public-private partnerships to improve the communities and markets we work with through sustainable and impactful concepts.
25+
Years Of Experience
Who We ARe
GADC was established in northern Uganda in the aftermath of the LRA-instigated war which devastated the region for nearly 20 years. Under the direction of owner Bruce Robertson, the company revived and took control of the COO-ROM ginnery in Gulu 2009.
GADC is currently active in the cotton, cotton cake and oil milling as well as sesame and maize business. Additionally, we run the Gulu Timber Company.
- CASH CROP BUSINESS
- DEVELOPMENT
- MARKET GROWTH & INCLUSION
- SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND ORGANIC
- INTEGRITY, QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY
Our certifications from bodies such as the Control Union and ECOCERT (Fair For Life) are a testament to our commitment to exceptional quality and sustainability, making our products highly competitive in both the national and international markets.
Our Story
GADC was established in northern Uganda in the aftermath of the LRA-instigated war which devastated the region for nearly 20 years. Under the direction of owner Bruce Robertson, the company revived and took control of the COO-ROM ginnery in Gulu 2009. Through sound management and local knowledge, we established agricultural buying and value addition operations and successfully expanded to two further ginneries in Kitgum and Rhino Camp.
GADC is currently active in the cotton, cotton cake and oil milling as well as sesame and maize business. Additionally, we run the Gulu Timber Company. This helps us promote a zero-waste value chain. We use state of the art processing technology to ensure that our conventional and organic products are of the highest quality. Our certifications from bodies such as the Control Union and ECOCERT (Fair For Life) are a testament to our commitment to exceptional quality and sustainability, making our products highly competitive in both the national and international markets.
Our Intervention Strategies
CASH CROP BUSINESS
Provide inputs to farmers to help boost yields. Buy cotton and sesame for cash. Clean, process, package and export to our exclusive national and international buyers in the far East and Europe.
SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND ORGANIC
Practice environmental sustainability throughout our agricultural value chains that goes beyond organic requirements.
Household Income Development
Improving household incomes and socio-economic opportunities for the farmers of northern Uganda through partnership programmes with the Ugandan government, donors and other businesses.
MARKET GROWTH & INCLUSION
Create and provide market entry, financial loans in the form of pre-financing, premium prices for organic produce, and overall support to smallholder farmers, encouraging entrepreneurial growth.
INTEGRITY, QUALITY AND FOOD SAFETY
Ensure the highest quality products, strict certifications and state of the art innovative cleaning and processing facilities.
The GADC Statistics
Photo Gallery
Farmer & Beneficiary Testimonials
What does the Famers have to say?
Since Gulu Agricultural Development Company (GADC) offered me a good business opportunity I decided to work with them. “They trained me on organic farming principles” and latter offered me to work with them as a lead farmer! In 2015 I have been working with Gulu Agricultural Development Company with support from Mercy corps under the program Transforming Agriculture for Improved Livelihood (TRAIL) since 2015, I do not operate on a very large scale, but I am one of their most regular suppliers. I supply 10 to 20 kgs of chili per harvest, prices fluctuate from Sh 12,000 to Sh9, 000 per kilogramme. On a monthly basis, I make about 240,000sh-400,000sh
Geofrey joined GADC in partnership with Mercy Corps in June 2015. He received several trainings in production techniques, business skills and marketing. He introduced other income-generating crops like sesame (simsim), chili, soybean and sunflower under the Transforming Agriculture for Improved Livelihood (TRAIL) project. Geofrey never looked back. He impressed the company by working hard and eventually he was entrusted to become a buying agent. Within the same year, he was pre-financed with 4.7 million UGX, approximately 1342 USD, earning a commission of 1,610,000 UGX, about 460 USD, and was able to buy 1.630 tons of sesame for the company for a period of 4 months.
My life as an AC has been an eye opener for me and enabled me to do more than I thought I could at this age. I get a monthly salary, airtime of 10,000 per month and I reached a point where I can satisfactorily provide for my daughter, and other four dependents without any external support. This wasn’t the case before, even better, I constructed an iron sheet roofed house for my mother in Kitgum town’, she said. In 2015, Josephine started farming on 3.25 acres of land. She planted sesame and chili and applied the knowledge and skills of agronomic practice that she passes on to other farmers for both value chains. She harvested about 200 kgs of sesame, sold each kg at 2,000 UGX and earned about 400,000 UGX (119 USD). From another a quarter acre of chili, she earned 263,000 UGX (78 USD).
blogs, testimonials & articles
read our latest publications
Improving of Livelihood as a buying agent
After the long buying season that GADC has had in the 2017/18 season has come to an end, many community members have been excited after receiving an income. The many trucks that were hired by the company for over six months have now left with smiles on their faces. The
Turning Fortunes for Ojara Robinson
Turning Fortunes for Ojara Robinson When you reach Ojara Robinson’s homestead, you find a practical farmer in everything. He grows many different types of crops within his homestead, mainly fruits for his own consumption and the surplus is sold out in the market. “Growing fruits crops is more important and
Women Leading A New Wave of Commercial Agriculture in Uganda: Jennifer’s Story
The Kacel Watwero group was established in 2019 as a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), and offers members opportunities to access affordable finance. Besides saving and lending money, the group of 25, which is almost entirely made up of women, now also work together on larger commercial farming. Markets for