Tree nursery: Kalibbala’s retirement project
FOR many a civil servant, retirement is a period of redundancy and financial hardship, waiting for the inadequate and often irregular pension cheque. That is why David Kalibbala is a source of envy to many.
My Way:David Kalibbala
By Francis Kagolo
FOR many a civil servant, retirement is a period of redundancy and financial hardship, waiting for the inadequate and often irregular pension cheque. That is why David Kalibbala is a source of envy to many.
The retired civil servant who resides in Wobulenzi town is one of the leading producers of tree seedlings in Luweero, Nakasongola and Nakaseke districts. He is also the official supplier of cocoa seedlings in the area, as part of the Government’s campaign to revive cocoa growing in the country.
The pensioner expects to earn up to sh30m next year from his nursery, where he produces seedlings of fruit and timber tree as well as cash crops like coffee and cocoa.
“Farming can really pay,†says Kalibbala’s wife, Abbey. She is the manager of Wobulenzi-based Kande Agriculture Enterprises Ltd, a family nursery business which has been producing seedlings since 1999.
Currently, the Kalibbalas have over 150,000 seedlings in their multi-site nursery. The seedlings are of coffee, cocoa, mangoes, oranges, braveria, pine, eucalyptus and musizi trees.
On average every year, the Kalibbala’s supply about 40,000 seedlings of cocoa alone, at sh300 each, to different farmers under the Government’s Cocoa Development Programme (CDP).
A beneficiary has to be approved by the district agriculture officer and the chief administrative officer before getting the seedlings. In a year, he also sells about 2,000 seedlings of passion fruit, 8,000 of mangoes, 3,000 of oranges and many more for coffee.
In a year the Kalibbala’s also sell about 50,000 seedlings of pine and eucalyptus, 5,000 of musizi and another 5,000 of briveria.
The average price for fruit tree seedlings is sh2,500 while that for timber trees is sh300. Their customers include government agencies, local governments and individual farmers.
How he started
When serving as Wakiso district agriculture officer in the 1990s, Kalibbala realised that his 60th birthday was approaching, so he needed to begin planning for his retirement. He had already bought 17 acres of land at Kande village in Katikamu sub-county at sh450,000 in 1991.
In 1999 just four years to his retirement, Kalibbala started practicing what he had been preaching — agriculture. When the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) embarked on a programme to promote colonal coffee growing in the country, Kalibbala applied for seeds. He was among the selected farmers from Luweero who received seeds for propagating.
He received 20,000 seeds, set up a nursery bed, and after eight months sold the seedlings back to UCDA at sh200 each. This earned him sh4m.
“The profit was negligible considering the time and capital we had invested in buying potting materials and other inputs,†Kalibbala reminisces. “But we were determined. We continued buying seeds as we expanded our nursery bed.†By then, a kilogramme of seeds used to cost sh5,000.
While the demand for coffee seedlings was big, the profit margin was rather discouraging.
As the Kalibbala’s were contemplating how to increase their profits, another door opened for them in form of the Cocoa Development Programme (CDP) in 2000. Under this programme run by the agriculture ministry, quality cocoa seeds are given out to reputable nursery operators to plant and later supply the seedlings to farmers at a subsidized price.
Because of his experience in seed nurseries, Kalibbala received 60,000 cocoa seeds from the ministry programme and after five months, the seedlings were about one foot tall. He sold them at sh300 each to farmers in Luweero and Nakaseke districts.
“What we were being paid for the cocoa seedlings was much lower than the market price which meant less profit, but since we had a bank loan to pay, we persevered,†recalls Kalibbala. They continued receiving seeds from the ministry up to around 2008.
Later, he started buying the seeds from established cocoa farmers at sh1,000 per kg.
Challenges
Besides the low prices, Kalibbala has had to deal with farmers’ negative attitude towards growing cocoa especially in central region. Until recently, cocoa was mainly grown in Bundibugyo district in western Uganda. “When I had just started on the cocoa multiplication project, farmers used to mock me saying cocoa would exhaust their soils,†he narrates.
The other challenge was helping farmers market their cocoa produce. Since he was the one supplying seedlings and encouraging them to take up cocoa growing, farmers blamed Kalibbala whenever they failed to find a good market for their products. However, he has since got an agent who buys the cocoa beans from the farmers and sells them to exporters.
Kalibbala says the ever increasing prices of farm inputs have also affected Kalibbala’s business. For example a kilogramme of polythene bags for packing soil has shot up from sh2,000 four years ago to sh6,000 while a trip of fertile loam soil has also increased from sh20,000 nine years ago to sh50,000 currently. Kalibbala adds that government agencies are also a threat to his business. He says: “UCDA does not pay before a year elapses. Sometimes it pays after four years and its price is very low.â€
Because nursery beds need a lot of water which Kalibbala did not have, irrigating the seedlings was difficult but he has since built a borehole on the farm.
Despite the challenges, Kalibbala says a nursery bed is paying. “You can do it on a small piece of land. Besides, supervision is easy.â€
However, he advises nursery bed operators to diversify their enterprises since there are only two major selling seasons in year (when it rains). To widen his income base, for instance, Kalibbala in 2002 planted a seven-acre forest of eucalyptus, which he says is also profitable.
Since 2002, he has harvested trees worth sh20m. He wants to expand the forest to over 15 acres this year.
Benefits of nurseries
Income generation through the sale of seedlings
May be established on a small piece of land
Cheap to establish
Production of uniform-sized seedlings leading to even plantation stands
Availability of seedlings when you and your customers need them
Production of disease-free planting stock
Can make good use of land unsuitable for crop production
By Francis Kagolo
FOR many a civil servant, retirement is a period of redundancy and financial hardship, waiting for the inadequate and often irregular pension cheque. That is why David Kalibbala is a source of envy to many.
The retired civil servant who resides in Wobulenzi town is one of the leading producers of tree seedlings in Luweero, Nakasongola and Nakaseke districts. He is also the official supplier of cocoa seedlings in the area, as part of the Government’s campaign to revive cocoa growing in the country.
The pensioner expects to earn up to sh30m next year from his nursery, where he produces seedlings of fruit and timber tree as well as cash crops like coffee and cocoa.
“Farming can really pay,†says Kalibbala’s wife, Abbey. She is the manager of Wobulenzi-based Kande Agriculture Enterprises Ltd, a family nursery business which has been producing seedlings since 1999.
Currently, the Kalibbalas have over 150,000 seedlings in their multi-site nursery. The seedlings are of coffee, cocoa, mangoes, oranges, braveria, pine, eucalyptus and musizi trees.
On average every year, the Kalibbala’s supply about 40,000 seedlings of cocoa alone, at sh300 each, to different farmers under the Government’s Cocoa Development Programme (CDP).
A beneficiary has to be approved by the district agriculture officer and the chief administrative officer before getting the seedlings. In a year, he also sells about 2,000 seedlings of passion fruit, 8,000 of mangoes, 3,000 of oranges and many more for coffee.
In a year the Kalibbala’s also sell about 50,000 seedlings of pine and eucalyptus, 5,000 of musizi and another 5,000 of briveria.
The average price for fruit tree seedlings is sh2,500 while that for timber trees is sh300. Their customers include government agencies, local governments and individual farmers.
How he started
When serving as Wakiso district agriculture officer in the 1990s, Kalibbala realised that his 60th birthday was approaching, so he needed to begin planning for his retirement. He had already bought 17 acres of land at Kande village in Katikamu sub-county at sh450,000 in 1991.
In 1999 just four years to his retirement, Kalibbala started practicing what he had been preaching — agriculture. When the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) embarked on a programme to promote colonal coffee growing in the country, Kalibbala applied for seeds. He was among the selected farmers from Luweero who received seeds for propagating.
He received 20,000 seeds, set up a nursery bed, and after eight months sold the seedlings back to UCDA at sh200 each. This earned him sh4m.
“The profit was negligible considering the time and capital we had invested in buying potting materials and other inputs,†Kalibbala reminisces. “But we were determined. We continued buying seeds as we expanded our nursery bed.†By then, a kilogramme of seeds used to cost sh5,000.
While the demand for coffee seedlings was big, the profit margin was rather discouraging.
As the Kalibbala’s were contemplating how to increase their profits, another door opened for them in form of the Cocoa Development Programme (CDP) in 2000. Under this programme run by the agriculture ministry, quality cocoa seeds are given out to reputable nursery operators to plant and later supply the seedlings to farmers at a subsidized price.
Because of his experience in seed nurseries, Kalibbala received 60,000 cocoa seeds from the ministry programme and after five months, the seedlings were about one foot tall. He sold them at sh300 each to farmers in Luweero and Nakaseke districts.
“What we were being paid for the cocoa seedlings was much lower than the market price which meant less profit, but since we had a bank loan to pay, we persevered,†recalls Kalibbala. They continued receiving seeds from the ministry up to around 2008.
Later, he started buying the seeds from established cocoa farmers at sh1,000 per kg.
Challenges
Besides the low prices, Kalibbala has had to deal with farmers’ negative attitude towards growing cocoa especially in central region. Until recently, cocoa was mainly grown in Bundibugyo district in western Uganda. “When I had just started on the cocoa multiplication project, farmers used to mock me saying cocoa would exhaust their soils,†he narrates.
The other challenge was helping farmers market their cocoa produce. Since he was the one supplying seedlings and encouraging them to take up cocoa growing, farmers blamed Kalibbala whenever they failed to find a good market for their products. However, he has since got an agent who buys the cocoa beans from the farmers and sells them to exporters.
Kalibbala says the ever increasing prices of farm inputs have also affected Kalibbala’s business. For example a kilogramme of polythene bags for packing soil has shot up from sh2,000 four years ago to sh6,000 while a trip of fertile loam soil has also increased from sh20,000 nine years ago to sh50,000 currently. Kalibbala adds that government agencies are also a threat to his business. He says: “UCDA does not pay before a year elapses. Sometimes it pays after four years and its price is very low.â€
Because nursery beds need a lot of water which Kalibbala did not have, irrigating the seedlings was difficult but he has since built a borehole on the farm.
Despite the challenges, Kalibbala says a nursery bed is paying. “You can do it on a small piece of land. Besides, supervision is easy.â€
However, he advises nursery bed operators to diversify their enterprises since there are only two major selling seasons in year (when it rains). To widen his income base, for instance, Kalibbala in 2002 planted a seven-acre forest of eucalyptus, which he says is also profitable.
Since 2002, he has harvested trees worth sh20m. He wants to expand the forest to over 15 acres this year.
Benefits of nurseries