The Minister of State for Agriculture, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, has stated that the country’s vanilla industry has grown, with export revenue rising from 4.1 MT (US$ 4.47 million) in 2019 to 266.7 MT (US$ 20.66 million) in 2023, representing a 78% growth.

Kyakulaga revealed this while addressing the media regarding the vanilla harvest, pricing, and crop protection in Uganda on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at the Uganda Media Center (UMC).

He attributed the growth to the rise in production as a result of more producers embracing and appreciating the benefits of growing vanilla adding that an estimated 65,000 smallholder farmers are engaged in vanilla growing in 38 districts across the country.

According to him, the main export destination of Ugandan vanilla is the USA, with the highest consumption rate (42%), followed by France (18.8%), Germany (11.8%), and Canada (4.3%).

He also stated that the major supply countries include Madagascar (2,200 MT), Uganda (266 MT), PNG (200 MT), Indonesia (150 MT), Mexico (50 MT), India (20 MT), and Tahiti (10 MT).

However, Kyakulaga pointed out that Uganda’s vanilla industry faces challenges like premature harvests, theft, illicit trade, low processing capacity, poor curing management, limited vanillin extraction, traceability issues, and uncoordinated actors.

Global vanilla demand ranges between 2,200 MT and 3,000 MT per annum, with Uganda’s market share ranging from 150 MT to 300 MT (5% to 15%) of the supply, with a high possibility of expansion.

The entire vanilla production in the World stands at 6,843 tons (FAOST, 2022), with Madagascar being the leading producer (78%), Uganda (9%), Papua New Guinea (7%), Indonesia (3%), Mexico (2%), and India (1%).