By John Masaba and Stella Nanozi
Government has urged farmers under the Parish Development Model (PDM) to add vanilla to the list of enterprises being undertaken.
According to Fred Kyakulaga, the state minister for agriculture, this will help the country maximize full benefits from the government program.
Previously farmers benefiting from PDM were only able to take up 18 agricultural enterprises, including coffee, cotton, cocoa, cassava, tea, vegetable oils, maize, rice, sugarcane, and fish. Others are dairy products, beef, bananas, beans, avocado, shea nuts, cashew nuts and macadamia.
The minister’s decision follows an analysis done by the ministry, which shows the high returns from its harvests. He said currently an acre of vanilla could fetch about sh40m at the first harvest.
“Going by that, it is clear that you can get up to sh80m per acre because one is able to make at least two vanilla harvests a year. This makes it one of the most profitable crops that can be grown in many parts of Uganda,” he said.
He said the total cost of establishing an acre of vanilla in Uganda is approximately sh5m, which he said would be affordable for farmers enrolled under the PDM program.
Currently, vanilla is grown in at least 35 districts of Uganda. Apart from Madagascar, which is currently the biggest producer of vanilla in the world, no other country in the world produces more vanilla than Uganda, according to the ministry.
Moreover, he said the flavor (vanillin) of Ugandan grown vanilla is higher than vanilla on the world market because of Uganda’s unique climate which provides a sufficient blend of rain and sunshine.
He made the revelation while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala yesterday. During the event, Kyakulaga declared this year’s vanilla harvest dates, which he said have been set for July 17.
Government controls harvests in a bid to reduce immature vanilla on the market.
Uganda’s export volumes
According to Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB, 2023), Uganda exported 89.038 tonnes of cured vanilla worth 8.33 million USD by March, 2023. “This is quite encouraging and promising in positioning Uganda as a competitive source of quality vanilla in the Global Market,” he said, adding that currently there are about 65,000 people employed by the industry.
He said the major markets for Uganda’s Vanilla include; USA, Indonesia, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Belgium, South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, Mauritius, United Arab Emirate, Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Republic of Korea.
High value crop
“Despite the recent drop in farm gate prices, vanilla’s prices remain high relative to other cash crops. This makes it a very attractive crop for smallholder farmers. Vanilla, as we have seen over the past several years, has the potential to transform lives of rural Ugandans if it is managed consistently, properly and harvested when fully mature,” he said.
He said because of its high value, the vanilla industry was facing a number of serious issues including theft of vanilla beans, robbery, murders, premature harvesting and trade in poor quality beans, poor processing, illicit trade against a backdrop of an absent/weak regulatory framework hence compromising the quality of Uganda’s Vanilla and negating our competitiveness.
This, he said, has destabilized the subsector as farmers, looking to secure a return on their investment before it is stolen, have resorted to early harvesting.
He warned that anyone involved in vanilla malpractices; theft, harvesting premature vanilla beans and de-coloring vanilla green beans through roasting, of tougher penalties if arrested.
“This warning also goes to those who are engaged in such illicit activities, especially the traders, processors and exporters who influence the buying of vanilla before the general harvesting period. Let them know that we shall not allow anyone to jeopardize the quality of Uganda’s vanilla,” he said.
According to Aga Sekalala Jr, an exporter of vanilla from Uganda, picking immature beans reduces the consistency and overall quality of vanilla and damages Uganda’s reputation among global buyers.
This further contributes to a reduction in the overall demand for natural vanilla among global buyers, hence putting additional pressure on volumes and prices.
“If left to mature, Uganda vanilla can contain the highest source of vanillin (favour) in the world because of the unique climate found in Uganda,” he said.
Vanillin is used in flavorings, foods, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals. Vanillin is used as a chemical intermediate in the manufacture of several important drugs and other products.
