(3 minutes read)
Ugandan farmers are staring at a heavy drop in the price of Vanilla, considered a wonder spice that could help farmers realize resources. In 2018, it was a passion and zeal for Ugandan farmers to plant vanilla since it fetched them US$80 per kilogram when they sold in the international market, although the crop has only minimal demand locally. But the situation is changing. Farmers are staring at uncertainty due to a number of reasons.
Ugandan farmers are staring at a heavy drop in the price of Vanilla, considered a wonder spice that could help farmers realize resources. In 2018, it was a passion and zeal for Ugandan farmers to plant vanilla since it fetched them US$80 per kilogram when they sold in the international market, although the crop has only minimal demand locally. But the situation is changing. Farmers are staring at uncertainty due to a number of reasons.
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Local exporters are raising concerns over the reduced consistency and quality, which cuts down on demand for Ugandan vanilla globally. The official harvesting period opened on July 17. As dealers wind up with sales, farmers are already planning for the next harvest. One cannot have a single date for all growers across the country, because the country has different agronomical regions in this country. Farmers say the designated harvesting period may offer some level of security, but that is not enough.
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To protect vanilla farmers, the government started declaring the harvesting period – a probable time that considers patterns in the different regions of the country. The beans mature first in the west. The foremost problem being faced by the farmers is the threat from thieves. When the prices of the crop rule high, thieves flock to the fields vanishing with the full-grown vanilla crop.
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Also, the fluctuation in the global market has left vanilla farmers stranded. A kilogram now goes for a little over US$1. The government is asking farmers to be patient. Because vanilla has a unique characteristic; the prices keep on fluctuating. Government officials insist that farmers should market the product together to have better prices and bargaining power. Government statistics show that by the end of 2022, the country exported vanilla worth US$11 million. That advantage can be derived when growers in Uganda aggregate their products. Uganda y ranks the number two exporter of vanilla on the content after Madagascar.
