Despite a substantial increase in revenue from vanilla exports, Uganda continues to export the crop in its raw form, affecting the total revenue realized from crop exports.
According to the Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) in charge of Crop Production, Fred Bada Bwino Kyakulaga, Uganda registered earnings from vanilla totaling $4.47 million in 2019. Since then, the country has seen a steady increase, with earnings reaching $20.66 million in 2023.
While addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre, Kyakulaga attributed the significant rise in vanilla earnings to improved quality in the production of the crop within the country, which has enhanced market opportunities.
Globally, Uganda ranks second to Madagascar among the leading producers and exporters of vanilla. It produces only 9% of the world’s total annual production and exports to the USA (42%), France (18.8%), Germany (11.8%), and Canada (4.3%).
The crop is primarily produced by smallholder farmers, totaling 65,000 across 38 districts. These farmers face challenges in the volatile market, partly due to the poor quality of the product resulting from premature harvests and underhanded processing, where farmers hide and boil immature vanilla pods to attain the color of mature ones.
The Minister stated that, to address these issues, the government, through district leadership, has formulated district ordinances to help regulate vanilla production. For instance, eight districts, including Ntoroko, Buikwe, and Bunyagabo, have functional ordinances.
Additionally, the government has embarked on registering all farmers and dealers. It is also developing a comprehensive digital mechanism for registering and monitoring agents, as well as training extension workers, as another measure to overcome the challenges facing the subsector.
Meanwhile, Hon. Bwino Kyakulaga also announced the harvest period for this season, which will commence on June 24th and run until September 25th, 2024.
He advised farmers to pick only mature vanilla beans if they want to maintain their market. However, he noted that, at present, his ministry has not yet started a campaign for value addition, as it is still prioritizing encouraging increased production.
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