Make avocado part of Bonna bagaggawale

Nov 26, 2006

Ordinary avocado trees bear fruits in five–seven years. The grafted ones take only three-five years. Avocado trees is good not only in terms of the beauty but also in production of fruits. The fruits can be processed to produce good skin vaseline and animal feeds. It is also good as sauce.

By Alex Turiho

Ordinary avocado trees bear fruits in five–seven years. The grafted ones take only three-five years. Avocado trees is good not only in terms of the beauty but also in production of fruits. The fruits can be processed to produce good skin vaseline and animal feeds. It is also good as sauce.

If each of the four million households in Uganda was compelled to plant five avocado trees, we would have 20 million trees.

Environmentalists are campaigning for restoration of depleted forests, swamps etc. They are fighting for a genuine cause because global warming has led to change in the weather pattern. Shortage of rainfall is making the water bodies dry up and hydro power stations are affected. The effects are being felt by every Ugandan in terms of industrial and agricultural production. With over 20 million avocado trees planted throughout the country,we would have a total of over 20,000ha (50,000 acres) of the surface area occupied by trees.

An avocado tree can produce more than 50kgs of fruits annually. The 20,000ha would therefore produce more than one million tonnes of avocado fruits annually. This can feed local factories to produce vaseline and food.

Government policy on Bona bagaggawale should consider planting avocado trees as one of its components. Environmentalists will also find it easier to promote planting of avocado trees in their re-afforestation campaigns.

At US $300 per tonne of avocado fruits, the government can earn about $300m (sh540b) annually. This would be much more than the revenue from most traditional cash crops such as tea, cotton and maize. With avocado you need less land, less time and less maintenance. Plant the trees, wait for only three years or less and then harvest for cash.With avocado trees you protect the environment and promote better nutrition. A healthy citizen means high production and faster economic growth.

The above benefits from avocado trees can be achieved with minimal input. It only requires formulate of a policy for every households or homestead to have at least five avocado trees. The government does not need to invest any resources other than those for enforcing the policy. Ugandans can get the seedlings themselves. They only need guidance. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) would find the policy particularly beneficial once they have settled in their villages.

The writer is an engineer

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