What farmers say

Aug 09, 2011

<b>Is vanilla still a worthy cash crop?</b><br>Editor – There was a time when vanilla was the talk among farmers across many regions of the country. Farmers got money and constructed big houses, others started investments elsewhere.

Is vanilla still a worthy cash crop?
Editor – There was a time when vanilla was the talk among farmers across many regions of the country. Farmers got money and constructed big houses, others started investments elsewhere. However, after vanilla prices fell, the morale to produce the crop dropped. But a friend advised me to plant vanilla on my land in Kayunga. I wonder if it is still viable.
Byron Nkonge,
Kampala


Editor’s note: At sh5,000 to sh10,000 a kilogram, vanilla remains the most expensive cash crop in the country, even after what befell it years ago. Farmers should agree that in the late 1990s, vanilla prices were abnormal and could not be sustained. The prices rose because the leading vanilla producing countries like Madagascar got a problem. Vanilla is a labour-intensive crop, but if you have the land, you can go for it, just like many other farmers are doing.

Improve food distribution in Uganda
Editor – There are several parts of the country that are facing hunger and famine due to drought. But there are also others that have a lot of food, meaning that the problem in Uganda is not the lack of food, but its distribution. Authorities should work at improving food distribution, from, say, western Uganda, which has got a lot of it, to the east were food is scarce.
Jane Ssekitto, Mukono

Regulate sugarcane growing in Busoga
Editor – I recently heard an MP in Busoga region saying unless the growing of sugarcane in Busoga is regulated, the area will continue wallowing in poverty and hunger. I entirely agree with him. Vast areas of Busoga have been taken over by sugarcane plantations, including Jinja, Mayuge, Iganga, Luuka and Kamuli districts. Sugarcane drains the soil of water, making the soil unsuitable for other crops. Furthermore, since the population has turned their land into sugarcane plantations, they have no space left for other crops. This is why I think this business must be regulated.
Joan Nabirye, Jinja

Proposal of a heifer per family is welcome
Editor – I listened to President Yoweri Museveni proposing a policy were each family will be given a heifer in order to improve the production of milk and home incomes. I think this is a good idea because experience so far shows that a well looked after heifer can sustain an average Ugandan family. On average, a cow may produce 20 litres of milk a day and since each litre goes for sh1,000, it would mean sh20,000 for that home. The milk can also be a good supplement to the diet of the home. Let the Government implement it.
Brian Luwagga, Kampala

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