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Great potential in country's fruit industry
Uganda
Friday 20 June 2008
Uganda's fruit industry has of late become an important sector in Uganda's economy, contributing a big share of non-traditional exports.
The industry has come a long way from scratch to becoming one of the most vibrant in the country's economy. Thousands of Ugandan small-holder farmers see the production and sale of fruit as a way out of poverty and subsistence farming. As a fast growing export sector, it is one of the main generators of foreign exchange in the country and provides a livelihood for a large number of people in the country.
Uganda boosts of a variety of tropical fruits which include mangoes, paw paws, oranges, tangerines, avocados, jack fruits, lemons, sweet bananas, sugar cane, various types of berries, both localised and wild guava, pineapples, passion fruits, tomatoes.
Uganda's fruit industry has not been as developed as Kenya's so there is not a heavy production of hybridised fruits although some apples are now being grown on a small scale in Kabale. According to the Uganda National Export Strategy, Uganda's fruit sector is important because the down stream of its supply chain supports close to one million small-scale rural farmers for whom the sector provides an alternative source of income to the traditional cash crops. The fruit sector is composed of a large number of small and medium-sized producers that produce a wide range of fruits.
It is estimated that about 60 small and medium companies are active exporters in the sector.
These exporters source their products from small-scale rural farmers in typical out-grower schemes. Fruit exports grew to 69 per cent by value from US$1.1m in 2006 to US$1.9m in 2007.
According to statistics from the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB), for the past six years, the value of Uganda's fruit exports increased steadily from US$670,000 in 2002 to over US$1 million last year.
The industry has come a long way from scratch to becoming one of the most vibrant in the country's economy. Thousands of Ugandan small-holder farmers see the production and sale of fruit as a way out of poverty and subsistence farming. As a fast growing export sector, it is one of the main generators of foreign exchange in the country and provides a livelihood for a large number of people in the country.
Uganda boosts of a variety of tropical fruits which include mangoes, paw paws, oranges, tangerines, avocados, jack fruits, lemons, sweet bananas, sugar cane, various types of berries, both localised and wild guava, pineapples, passion fruits, tomatoes.
Uganda's fruit industry has not been as developed as Kenya's so there is not a heavy production of hybridised fruits although some apples are now being grown on a small scale in Kabale. According to the Uganda National Export Strategy, Uganda's fruit sector is important because the down stream of its supply chain supports close to one million small-scale rural farmers for whom the sector provides an alternative source of income to the traditional cash crops. The fruit sector is composed of a large number of small and medium-sized producers that produce a wide range of fruits.
It is estimated that about 60 small and medium companies are active exporters in the sector.
These exporters source their products from small-scale rural farmers in typical out-grower schemes. Fruit exports grew to 69 per cent by value from US$1.1m in 2006 to US$1.9m in 2007.
According to statistics from the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB), for the past six years, the value of Uganda's fruit exports increased steadily from US$670,000 in 2002 to over US$1 million last year.
