Tea has paid fees for Batuna’s 10 children
Apr 11, 2006
YOROKAMU Batuna Salongo, 65, a renown tea grower in Kyamuhunga, Bushenyi district, is a success story of determination and perseverance that has made him a model. From a humble background as an orphan, Batuna has used all the possible chances and is now a renown farmer both at home and abroad.
By David Kiiza
YOROKAMU Batuna Salongo, 65, a renown tea grower in Kyamuhunga, Bushenyi district, is a success story of determination and perseverance that has made him a model. From a humble background as an orphan, Batuna has used all the possible chances and is now a renown farmer both at home and abroad.
A graduate of Bukalasa Agriculture College, Batuna joined the tea sector in 1962 at Ankole Tea Company as a field assistant. He started his own project just after one year in the field in 1964.
Batuna resigned prematurely from the civil service in 1980, having realised that his projects (a dairy farm and tea gardens) seriously needed his attention.
In 1994, he participated in the tea growing competitions and emerged the best in the country. He won a trip to Kenya and Tanzania for a study tour of the tea estates.
He also participated in the national agriculture competitions where he won an air ticket to London for two weeks.
In 1996 he won the Mr. UNFA award, having participated in the UNFA competitions and became one of the best farmers of the year. He was given a trip to Zimbabwe, Mombasa and later Rwanda.
Batuna’s success is attributed to his hard work, several study trips abroad, strictness on record-keeping and the advice he receives from people who visit his farm.
Over 40 acres of Batuna’s land is covered with different varieties of tea, which include a new high yielding variety 303/577. “When you pick 15 kilos of green leaf of this variety, you are likely to get one kilo of made tea out of it,†he says.
He has four acres of this variety. From his 40 acres, Batuna picks over 1000 kilos of green leaf, which he sells to the nearby Rwenzori Highland Tea Company that does the processing.
Being near the factory, Batuna sometimes faces problems of labour shortage, especially during the peak season.
“Most people I would hire to pick the tea are always engaged in the nearby tea estates, which give them better facilities than mine,†Batuna says.
Nonetheless, Batuna employs over 60 workers on his project. He further says that he has intentions to increase his acreage by 10 more acres.
Batuna encourages people who still have land, especially in the tea growing areas, to engage in tea growing because it is a daily income-generating project.
The project has enabled him to pay school fees for his 10 children up to university level in addition to setting up other developments at home.
Batuna does not earn from the sale of green leaf alone, he also operates a nursery of tea plantlets since tea growers have diversified from the traditional ways of planting tea stamps to plantlets, especially with the coming of the new varieties.
Batuna now has over 800,000 plantlets of tea, which are ready for planting. He said Mukono local government and the department of agriculture and environment in Bushenyi had bought many of them.
Batuna urges the Government to encourage people, especially those living in the acidic areas of Igara, Buhweju and Ruhinda to make use of this chance and grow tea, which he looks at as the best alternative since most crops like coffee and bananas are experiencing wilt problems. Batuna is the chairperson of Igara Tea Growers Co-operative Society, a position he has held since 1998 and chairperson Kyamuhunga People’s Co-operatives Savings and Credit Society.
Ends
YOROKAMU Batuna Salongo, 65, a renown tea grower in Kyamuhunga, Bushenyi district, is a success story of determination and perseverance that has made him a model. From a humble background as an orphan, Batuna has used all the possible chances and is now a renown farmer both at home and abroad.
A graduate of Bukalasa Agriculture College, Batuna joined the tea sector in 1962 at Ankole Tea Company as a field assistant. He started his own project just after one year in the field in 1964.
Batuna resigned prematurely from the civil service in 1980, having realised that his projects (a dairy farm and tea gardens) seriously needed his attention.
In 1994, he participated in the tea growing competitions and emerged the best in the country. He won a trip to Kenya and Tanzania for a study tour of the tea estates.
He also participated in the national agriculture competitions where he won an air ticket to London for two weeks.
In 1996 he won the Mr. UNFA award, having participated in the UNFA competitions and became one of the best farmers of the year. He was given a trip to Zimbabwe, Mombasa and later Rwanda.
Batuna’s success is attributed to his hard work, several study trips abroad, strictness on record-keeping and the advice he receives from people who visit his farm.
Over 40 acres of Batuna’s land is covered with different varieties of tea, which include a new high yielding variety 303/577. “When you pick 15 kilos of green leaf of this variety, you are likely to get one kilo of made tea out of it,†he says.
He has four acres of this variety. From his 40 acres, Batuna picks over 1000 kilos of green leaf, which he sells to the nearby Rwenzori Highland Tea Company that does the processing.
Being near the factory, Batuna sometimes faces problems of labour shortage, especially during the peak season.
“Most people I would hire to pick the tea are always engaged in the nearby tea estates, which give them better facilities than mine,†Batuna says.
Nonetheless, Batuna employs over 60 workers on his project. He further says that he has intentions to increase his acreage by 10 more acres.
Batuna encourages people who still have land, especially in the tea growing areas, to engage in tea growing because it is a daily income-generating project.
The project has enabled him to pay school fees for his 10 children up to university level in addition to setting up other developments at home.
Batuna does not earn from the sale of green leaf alone, he also operates a nursery of tea plantlets since tea growers have diversified from the traditional ways of planting tea stamps to plantlets, especially with the coming of the new varieties.
Batuna now has over 800,000 plantlets of tea, which are ready for planting. He said Mukono local government and the department of agriculture and environment in Bushenyi had bought many of them.
Batuna urges the Government to encourage people, especially those living in the acidic areas of Igara, Buhweju and Ruhinda to make use of this chance and grow tea, which he looks at as the best alternative since most crops like coffee and bananas are experiencing wilt problems. Batuna is the chairperson of Igara Tea Growers Co-operative Society, a position he has held since 1998 and chairperson Kyamuhunga People’s Co-operatives Savings and Credit Society.
Ends