The State Minister for Agriculture, Christopher Kibanzanga, has said that the price of vanilla continues to rise due to the increased demand against very low supply of the beans.
Remarking in Kampala while addressing the media, the minister, said in Uganda, the price has reached as high as Shs250, 000 per kilogram for green vanilla beans at the farm-gate and therefore asked farmers to be vigilant as vanilla harvesting period draws closer.
He declared June 15th onwards and December 15th as the appropriate Dates for the first season and the second season of harvesting vanilla.
Last year, Uganda produced about 300,000Kg of Vanilla and exported 23,000Kg of cured vanilla worth US $6.40 million. “It is not surprising to hear that vanilla is now referred to as the ‘Green Gold’. This is because of the price fetched from cured vanilla which is higher than the value of one kilogram of silver.” He said
He said government is taking precautions on vanilla harvesting because it’s a high value crop especially for the international market. There have been cases of theft the crop and murder of farmers already recorded in Kasese district and others.
“We have observed each time vanilla prices rise, we receive cases of theft, and loss of lives, wide spread premature vanilla harvesting which ultimately compromises the quality of Ugandan vanilla. Worse of all, the vanilla farmer is the most affected party.”
In 2017 and 2018, the major importing countries for Ugandan vanilla included USA, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Israel, South Africa, Turkey and Hungary.
Mr Aga Sekalala senior lauded government for finally hearing their plea as vanilla farmers and setting dates for harvesting which is an international practice that comes with safety measures.
Vanilla is one of the high value crops grown in 25 districts of Uganda, mainly in Central, Eastern and Western parts of the country. Global consumption of vanilla ranges between 2,100 metric tons to 2,400 metric tons per year over the last 10 years. However, there is now increasing demand for all-natural and organic vanilla from major Global food companies.
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