The Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has declared December 27th, 2024, to March 27th, 2025, as vanilla harvest days to neutralize premature harvests and maintain the plant quality.
The Ministry made this declaration during a press conference held on December 17, 2024, at the Uganda Media Center, Kampala.
The MAAIF State Minister, Fred Bwino Kyakulago, revealed that the declared dates were meant to guide farmers, traders, processors, exporters, and their agents on the exact dates that the vanilla beans will be ready for harvest countrywide.
According to Kyakulago, the move is to maintain the quality of vanilla exported since the crop is the second most valuable spice in the world and has generated USD 20.66 million in foreign exchange earnings in 2023 for the Ugandan economy.
“Our goal is to position Uganda as a leading and preferred source of quality vanilla in the global market, and initiatives such as declaring the harvest days continue to significantly contribute to this goal,” he said.
Kyakulago added that the harvest dates were determined through a maturity survey process carried out by the ministry, the Association of Vanilla Exporters Uganda, Makerere University, and Catholic Relief Services (CSR).
“Through this partnership, we have improved the accuracy of the harvest dates by using science, aiming to reduce losses for farmers due to inaccurate dates,” he said.
The Operations Manager at the Association of Vanilla Exporters of Uganda Limited (VANEX), Joseph Lukandwe, revealed that Uganda’s vanilla has been recorded to have the highest concentration of vanillin in the world and has attracted the international market to demand more vanilla from Uganda.
“The vanilla industry has increased, with exports increasing from 4.1 metric tons at 4.7 million USD in 2019 to 220 million USD metric tons valued at 20 million USD in 2023. We intend to keep the quality and vanillin content above 2% on average to increase our competitive advantage,” he stated.
As the vanilla prices remain low, the minister has encouraged farmers to keep their vines healthy as the market situation strengthens over the next 12-18 months while encouraging farmers to selectively harvest only mature vanilla beans, cautioning against early harvesting and possession of green immature beans.
