By. Damba Rogers
The state minister for agriculture, Agrey Bagire is urging local governments to develop by-laws to help regulate the growth, harvesting and sell of vanilla in Uganda’s growing districts.
Addressing journalists today in Kampala, the minister notes that this will help improve the quality of vanilla grown in the country so as to compete on global market.
He further cautions vanilla farmers of price falls in the coming future due to COVID-19 but urges farmers not to give up on growing the cash crop.
Madagascar and Brazil being the leading global producers of vanilla and are currently facing challenges in growth and production, Ugandan farmers are now being urged to take advantage of the challenges faced by the two global growers to produce quality vanilla produce to the global market.
Last year, Uganda’s vanilla prices stood at UGX.170,000 per kilo and now govt anticipates that with the roaming fall in prices farmers might bag UGX.120,000 per kilo. And The country earned UGX.10.2Billion in exporting vanilla last year.
Farmers have now been put on alert that the first harvesting season this year starts on 6th july 2020.
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