KYENJOJO-Farmers in Rwenzori Sub-region and Uganda at large have been urged to embrace growing of Hass avocado and macadamia to improve on their household incomes.
Government through National Agricultural Advisory Services [NAADS] is supporting the implementation of an intervention for promoting emerging high value strategic commodities notably, Hass avocado and macadamia under the nucleus farmer partnership strategy.
Hass avocado and macadamia are currently some of the most highly demanded commodities in a world market whose sensitivity to qualify parameters is very high.
Late last month, stakeholders in the promotion of Hass avocado and macadamia met in Kyenjojo district to reflect and strategize on how to promote the two high value crops.
The State Minister for Agriculture, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga said Hass avocado and macadamia have the potential to increase the revenue of Ugandans on both the local and international markets.
“I urge farmers to embrace the two crop varieties because they are highly marketable and profitable compared to other crops,” Kyakulaga said.
He said government is committed to sensitising farmers and supporting commercial farmers to enhance production, value addition, and collective bargaining in the value chain.
The ministry of agriculture adopted the nucleus farmer model for the promotion of high value non-traditional agricultural export commodities because of its potential to ensure provision of knowledge and skills to farmers.
These were later supplied with seedlings to give to the farmers at the co-funding arrangement.
In this arrangement, the government contributes 70 percent while a farmer contributes 30 percent to the seedlings.
The NAADS executive director, Dr.Samuel Mugasi said they started the implementation of the intervention in season B 2022 with the distribution of 103,362 Hass avocado seedlings and 29,234 macadamia seedlings in 42 implementing districts under co-funding arrangement.
“The co-funding approach is not new in implementation of government programmes. In our previous interventions, we were giving planting materials free of charge, however, most farmers never valued these materials and left them to go waste,” Mugasi noted.
He said they learned from past experience and in order to have a sustainable intervention, a farmer needs to own the programme by contributing a percentage of the cost of seedlings.
Maj. Gen.Robert Rusoke, the proprietor of Njojo Hass avocado agro-based industries supported the co-funding approach saying that government should maintain it because macadamia and Hass avocado are high value crops.
He said giving free seedlings would make some farmers reluctant to plant them hence a disservice to the programme.
“The money a farmer invests in the two crops is worth it because the crops have ready market that starts with Ugandans,” he said.
However, some farmers are against the idea of co-funding and call upon government to offer seedlings to them at a free cost.
Macadamia starts bearing fruits at four years, producing approximately between seven and 10 kilograms per tree, but when it reaches the maturity stage of between seven to 10 years, the fruit yields approximately between 50 and 60 kilograms of quality nuts and it continues to bear fruits for over 100 years.
https://thecooperator.news/teso-farmers-tipped-on-improving-agricultural-productivity/
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