FORT PORTAL – Tea out-growers in Uganda have formed the first-ever association that will help them speak with one voice when it comes to tea matters.
The National General Assembly of Uganda Tea Out-growers Association (UTOA) was formed in Fort Portal on Monday by delegates from the 20 tea-growing districts in Uganda.
According to the Agribusiness Development Officer at the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) secretariat, Grace Kazigati, the initiative to form the association started at the beginning of this year.
She said tea farmers were mobilised from parish to sub-county and then to the district level with an aim of forming one body.
“By farmers coming together, it will give a mileage of how business is going to be conducted as far as promoting the value chain is concerned,” she said.
Kazigati noted that by farmers coming together, it means they will have one voice to address the current challenges hindering the development of the tea industry.
She said among the challenges facing the tea industry is low productivity, despite efforts by government to provide seedlings to farmers.
“Low productivity has been hindered by inadequate access to inputs like fertilizers. The moment these farmers come together, such issues will be addressed. Issues of quality will be sorted too,” she said.
She said the association would help them set their own standards in line with the market requirements and ensure each member adheres to the standards.
The Solidaridad project manager for tea in Kenya and Uganda, Alex Amanya said the association will enable farmers to speak with one voice and push for a common agenda, say on tea policy.
“We want the voice of these farmers to be heard once their decisions have been made so that they have their input rather than other stakeholders talking for them. We want farmers to have their input on issues affecting the sector and it will be through their one voice,” he said.
Onesmus Matsiko, the interim board chairperson UTOA said May 16, is a landmark in the history of the tea sector in Uganda because the 1st ever tea out growers national assembly was held to bring together all tea farmers in Uganda.
“Why now? For the last two years in a row, tea prices in the world plunged and Uganda’s tea prices were plunged more than even our neighboring countries,” he observed.
Matsiko said one of the reasons why Uganda’s tea prices plunged harder was because of the product quality, which was attributed to the quality of the green leaf.
The association is going to address three major challenges; productivity, product quality, and market.
https://thecooperator.news/tea-farmers-lose-billions-of-shillings/
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