Agago macadamia farmers receive 30,000 seedlings

AGAGO– Government through the Ministry of Agriculture Animal husbandry and Fisheries [MAAIF] committed it will distribute 30,000 macadamia seedlings to farmers in Agago district.

Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, the Minister of State for Agriculture was speaking recently in Agago district where he said government would be distributing seedlings of macadamia to the farmers in the area annually.

The minister said the seedlings were procured under the National Agricultural Advisory Development Services [NAADs] and will be given to farmers in the entire Acholi Sub-region, though much emphasis has been put on Agago district.

He said that the government would also train extension staff on the macadamia value chain as well as provide market information so that farmers earn income by selling their produce.

In May this year, Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo, mobilised 525 farmers in Agago district to join commercial macadamia farming under the Make Acholi Green Again Initiative.

The Executive Director NAADS Dr. Samuel Mugasi said the region needs to have a perennial crop as a fall-back for the smallholder farmers.

Speaking to farmers, Dr. Mugasi said the Acholi Sub-region has the potential to grow macadamia but also other crops like hass avocado and cashew nuts.

Justice Owiny Dollo said the government intervention is very much needed saying several farmers who are interested in joining commercial macadamia farming struggled to procure the seedlings.

Dollo said that currently, the commercial supply of macadamia in Uganda is still low, adding that the more people engage in growing the fruit trees, the more money they can earn.

Macadamia is a tree that grows well on fertile, well-drained upland soils with an annual rainfall of between 1,000–2,000mm and optimum temperatures of 25 °C and not falling below 10 °C.

Macadamia starts bearing fruits at three years producing approximately between 7 and 10 kilograms per tree, but when it reaches the maturity stage of between 7–10 years, the tree yields between 50 and 60 kilogrammes of quality nuts and it continues to bear fruits for over 100 years.

https://thecooperator.news/over-500-pioneer-farmers-get-macadamia-seedlings-in-agago/

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