The government of Uganda through the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Husbandry and Fisheries has announced harvest date for vanilla to its farmers to avoid premature harvest that can ruin the country’s market.
The new date, July 17 for the Vanilla harvest season A of this year is part of the government’s commitment to the production and trading of quality vanilla further ensuring that only ripe vanilla beans that can compete on the international market are harvested.
According to Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, the State Minister of Agriculture, as per the international market, Uganda is ranked second in producing quality vanilla after Madagascar the top producer hence the country should take all the necessary measures to keep its position and even improve.
“Because of our unique environment compared to the rest of the world, if Ugandan vanilla is allowed to mature, it can contain the highest vanillin than any vanilla from another source anywhere in the world,” said Bwino.
Uganda vanilla export
Uganda Export Promotion Board stats indicate that the country exported 89,038 tonnes of cured vanilla worth $8.33 million by March 2023.
The minister said that this firmly positioned Uganda as a competitive origin of quality vanilla on the global market.
Several serious issues have been brought about by the vanilla’s high value which includes theft of vanilla beans, robbery, murders, premature harvesting, and trade in poor quality premature beans which compromise the quality of Uganda’s vanilla.
This, according to Bwino, has destabilized the sub-sector as farmers looking to get a return on their investment have resorted to early harvesting.
Currently, Uganda has 65,000 Vanilla farmers.
According to Agar Ssekalaala Junior of Vanix Uganda, an exporter of vanilla said that based on the survey from the last three years, Uganda has got 65,000 farmers in 35 districts and Uganda is the second largest exporter, supplying to the global market between 100 to 200 metric tons every year.
Ssekalaala said that Vanilla all over the world is grown at the same standards by smallholders in natural circumstances very similar to Uganda without mechanization.
