Farmers threaten to raze vanilla gardens
A farmer in Ngogwe Village, Buikwe District, checks his vanilla crops on March 25, 2022. PHOTO | DENIS EDEMA
What you need to know:
- Mr Yosamu Mudonge, a vanilla farmer, said the delay by the government to gazette the vanilla ordinance is holding them back from mitigating vanilla theft in the area.
Farmers in Bundibugyo District have threatened to cut down their vanilla veins over increased theft of premature beans.
Mr Julius Baluku, the chairperson of Vanilla Farmers’ Association in Harugale Sub-county, said some buyers have secretly flocked the district to purchase stolen premature vanilla beans.
“Last season we sold a kilogramme of mature vanilla beans between Shs25,000 and Shs30,000. This season we are waiting for the Ministry of Agriculture to communicate the harvesting date but it is very unfortunate that some traders are buying stolen premature vanilla beans at Shs8,000 per kilogramme,” Mr Baluku said.
Mr Yosamu Mudonge, a vanilla farmer, said the delay by the government to gazette the vanilla ordinance is holding them back from mitigating vanilla theft in the area.
“Some farmers have been attacked by thieves while guarding their vanilla gardens at night. Our lives are at risk and now some farmers have resorted to uprooting their vanilla veins,” Mr Mudonge said.
He added that their appeal to government for security has fallen on deaf ears.
In 2018, the Bundibugyo District council passed the vanilla ordinance and are still waiting for the government to gazette it.
The farmers said the ordinance will help address the issues of extension services, improve vanilla quality, and fight theft, among others.
The Bundibugyo Resident District Commissioner, Lt Col Alex Bright, vowed to work jointly with farmers to fight theft and harvest of premature beans.
“We want to assure the farmers that we shall do our level best to ensure that those thieves terrorizing you are dealt with,” Lt Col Bright said.
Meanwhile, Ms Barbra Komushango, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture, advised farmers to only harvest ripe vanilla in order to ensure quality and attract good prices.
She, however, said the harvest of premature vanilla is not only by thieves but also some farmers who do not wait for the ministry’s declaration.
“We ask our farmers to always wait for the ministry’s declaration of the harvest periods to ensure that they harvest mature vanilla,” she said.
