Publication date: Tuesday, 20th March, 2007
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Wanume stands in the middle of his grafted mango field in Minani village |
By Donald Kiirya
MANGO farmers in Minani and Namirere parishes, Namalemba sub-county in Iganga are expecting to earn sh1.2b. Under the Fruits and Tubers Farmers Group, which has 105 members, the farmers expect to earn the money from their eighth harvest of exportable fresh grafted mangoes this year.
Moses Wanume, the group’s director, says they started growing mangoes three years ago. They have been enjoying a healthy harvest for six months.
Wanume said the group started with 53 farmers with adjoining pieces of land, who first planted 125 acres of grafted mangoes in April 2003. He added that the group has about 12,700 grafted mango trees planted in an orchard of 254 acres of land in Minani and Namirere parishes.
“It takes at least three years to realise the first harvest, but the prospect of continuous reaping for about half a century has made mango growing appealing to Iganga’s peasants,” Wanume said.
One mango tree can yield 450kgs mangoes for every harvest, which is done twice a year. Wanume says they practise organic farming.
They use organic manure made out of cow-dung, shrubs, maize cobs and cow urine.
Wanume says the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Environment Management Authority have taken interest in the project. He said their mango project attracted donor agencies like the UNDP, which recently gave them a grant of $38,000, to increase acreage and build capacity to handle the fresh mangoes.
The UNDP’s support, provided under its Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, was used to increase acreage. More farmers were assisted to take on mango farming. It was also used to train farmers, drill boreholes, procure organic fertilisers and pesticides, as well as farm tools and equipment, in addition to marketing.
Wanume adds that Enterprise Uganda recently funded a trip of 14 mango farmers to Kenya to learn new techniques of attaining quality yields and combating pests.
This article can be found on-line at: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/9/37/555198
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