Minister Musumba introduces growing of chia in Buzaya county

The Minister of State for Urban Development, Isaac Isanga Musumba has started venturing into growing of Chia (Salvia Hispanica) for the first time in Buzaya County, Kamuli district after realising that the crop's seeds have become popular due to their immense benefits in the Country.

Musumba says a friend of his introduced him to a Danish friend Bo Bleeg who inspired him to grow the crop for commercial purposes and being that it is his first time to grow Chia, his expectations are high to make profits.

Musumba who was found strolling on his Izaniro mixed farm with his friends Jorgen Logstrup a Founder of Transform AF 1994 APS company, said he has planted the crop on 100 acres in Izaniro village, Buzaya County in Kamuli district.

He says that besides growing the crop for commercial purposes, he wants to introduce it to farmers in his constituency so that they may grow it and earn money.

"Being my first time to plant Chia, I am getting experience and will market the whole crop to locals after I have ascertained how to grow it and pricing it," Musumba said.

He said Chia is one of the most nutritious foods one will ever come across adding that it is rich in proteins, Omega 3 fats and a dozen of other nutrients that include calcium, manganese, and phosphorus.

Musumba said that if he gets a good harvest out of the 100 acres, he will increase on acreage and grows Chia on 300 acres.

He said his plan is to mobilise the population particularly women to grow Chia in their home gardens since it is one of the most nutritious foods that the European market is craving for.

Resistant to diseases;
To plant the crop, the farmer ploughs the land and levels the ground. He then drills rows 2ft apart and plants.

Chia sprouts after about two weeks and germinates faster when there is good rainfall, taking some three months to mature. One must weed at least thrice before harvesting.

Musumba has grown the crop organically, as he has not applied any fertiliser during planting and avoids application of pesticides.

The Minister said that the crop grows and matures after three months and is resistant to diseases and pest attack.

He added that another advantage of the crop is that it is not prone to birds' attack. On the edge of the pods are spikes that make it difficult for the birds to peck and break the hard brown cover to reach the seeds.

Challenges:
He said Chia is easy to grow but it has a set of challenges, especially during harvesting.

"Harvesting is labour intensive as workers on my farm use sickles to cut the plant at 4 inches from the ground at the point where it begins to branch." Musumba said adding that he has started harvesting the crop.

He said that besides growing Chia, he also grows coffee, Bananas, has dairy cows, Poultry and a coffee nursery bed all on a four acre piece of land adding that he is implementing President Yoweri Museveni's call of the four acre system.  

Chia seeds can be eaten whole, ground into flour, pressed for oil or even prepared as a drink if soaked in hot water