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Forum => Kenya Discussion => Topic started by: Omollo on September 25, 2014, 06:47:28 PM

Title: How On Earth Did Uganda Grow Cocoa Before Us?
Post by: Omollo on September 25, 2014, 06:47:28 PM

I just stumbled on this. It is very annoying. How come somebody in Uganda discovered that the colonial powers were lying that cocoa could not grow in East Africa before we did?
(http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/image/view/-/1197914/medRes/277525/-/maxw/600/-/klbmlez/-/cocoa.jpg)

Quote

Uganda is projecting a 13 per cent jump in earnings from cocoa bean exports this year, riding on improved crop productivity and better global prices.

The Ministry of Agriculture last week said, production is expected to reach 17,000 metric tonnes, up from last year’s 15,000 metric tonnes, an improvement that should push earnings to $51 million from $45 million.

“We plan to expand the cocoa growing hectares and also provide farmers with the required resources and technological knowledge in order to boost production levels from the current 15,000 metric tonnes to our target of 50,000 metric tonnes by 2016,” said John Muwanga Musisi, Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries Minister.

Uganda cocoa exports have grown from 6,000 metric tonnes in 2004/05 valued at $8.7 million to 13,800 metric tonnes in 2008/09 worth $41.4 million.

“A comparison in the export competitiveness of different commodities in Uganda indicates that cocoa compares very well with electricity, Arabica coffee and cobalt. These are commodities with high export value,” Mr Musisi said.

Lack of awareness and low production are the two major challenges facing the sector, Musisi observed. “Not many Ugandans know that cocoa is grown in the country. The schools curriculum mentions that cocoa is grown in Ghana and Nigeria and not in Uganda,” he said.

“Uganda’s cocoa production is still too low to attract credible investors into value addition. If we are to sell intermediate products like cocoa butter or cocoa powder we would earn three times more than what we earn when we export raw cocoa beans. According to the potential investors our production levels are still low because their heavy machinery can’t run all year round on just 15,000 metric tonnes,” Musisi added.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Uganda+cocoa+exports+look+up+as+Ivory+Coast+falters/-/2560/1197912/-/q79dhj/-/index.html

Title: Re: How On Earth Did Uganda Grow Cocoa Before Us?
Post by: RV Pundit on September 25, 2014, 06:55:59 PM

Omollo,
This is very interesting. I wonder if we can replicate it in kenya. There is definitely a big market as more countries become prosperous.

Title: Re: How On Earth Did Uganda Grow Cocoa Before Us?
Post by: anarchista on September 26, 2014, 10:34:55 AM

Unfortunately Kenya policy drivers became more interested in selling/buying 'idle' ADC land than in research and piloting new products.

Hopefully Counties will at some point begin to think outside the box for solutions. I noticed the other day some CDF somewhere put up a tender for staff housing specifically made from expandable polysterene: http://wiredkenya.com/tenders (http://wiredkenya.com/tenders)

But I digress. The real deal is Vanilla production, which Uganda has been producing for about ten years now and of very high quality in the last five or so years.

Quote

Up to 40% of Uganda’s beans are of gourmet quality, that is, whole bean grade A. Uganda has recently established some worldwide recognition, and confidence in its vanilla beans continues to grow.

Farmers sell green vanilla beans to firms that cure and export them. Ugandan farmers capture about $8 per kilogram while export prices for cured ‘pod’ beans are around $25 per kilogram.

Ndali Estate, a small Ugandan company, exports of very high grade vanilla products including both extract (at $120 per kilo) and cured pods (at $1,100 per kilo).
 
http://www.lightyearsip.net/scopingstudy/ugandan_vanilla.aspx
 (http://www.lightyearsip.net/scopingstudy/ugandan_vanilla.aspx)
 

Title: Re: How On Earth Did Uganda Grow Cocoa Before Us?
Post by: Omollo on September 26, 2014, 01:00:48 PM

Anarchista

Thanks for the tip. I think Uganda has scored a first on everyone. I notice they are deep in Vanilla cultivation and are in fact listed 8th among the top World Producers. Both Cocoa and Vanilla are expected to command increasingly high prices. I think places like Mumias, Webuye and Much of South Nyanza should explore such alternatives.

I am glad that tropical sugar beet is being experimented on. We could begin seeing a replacement for sugarcane.

http://www.africanreview.com/energy-a-power/renewables/kenyan-biofuel-production-project-receives-international-funding

Title: Re: How On Earth Did Uganda Grow Cocoa Before Us?
Post by: Olekoima on September 26, 2014, 02:55:08 PM

Thanks for the info Omollo. This is where we need the countty governments to take the lead. I hope they are reading this.