3 crops added to the list of Uganda’s priority Cash crops

Three new crops are being introduced as the government broadens the economy beyond the traditional tea and coffee. The priority list of crops grown with the intention of selling has been expanded to include some, fairly unusual to consumers.

These include hass avocado, macadamia nuts, and cashew nuts.

The National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) secretariat will be in charge of leading the promotion drive for these crops, which will be supported by a number of significant farms.

Dr. Samuel Mugasi, executive director of NAADS, claims that because global needs are dynamic and have altered quickly over time, a new reaction is required to meet contemporary standards for both quality and quantity in order to satisfy a variety of worldwide markets.

At a presser held by NAADS, Dr Mugabi had this to say as he sensitized members on the way forward;

“The global trends are changing, eating habits are changing and we are seeing emerging commodities that are of economic and global importance. As a country, they have deemed it important to diversify as the country has been largely dependent on coffee and tea as the two main cash crops which is extremely risky,”

Dr Mugabi further expresses how NAADS has chosen to change its earlier policy of only offering seedlings which was used in the hope that the agricultural sector would flourish, but the plan was flawed in many ways.

Eight approved farmers have already been given the responsibility of assisting in the opening of new farmland for new farmers and supporting the entire value chain.

Growing of these recently introduced high value crops is currently taking place in gardens and nursery beds on land that is at least 50 acres large, as factories to carry out the value addition also in existence which gives farmers confidence about engaging in these new lucrative ventures.

NAADS continues by promising that the growth of hass avocado, macadamia nuts, and cashew nuts will get support along the full value chain, from production to marketing and value addition.

What are these newly introduced cash crops.?

Firstly, the hass avocado is a kind of the fruit with rough, dark green skin and a smooth, creamy, nutty flavor. Due to its extremely fertile sandy soils and agreeably warm environment, Uganda is particularly suitable for growing the hass avocado, which thrives in medium-sized sandy soils and warm climes. The hass avocado can be either consumed locally or exported or harvested when mature to obtain either food-grade oil or oil suitable for cosmetic use.

Due of its lengthy harvest period and higher production, the hass plant is vastly favored. Making it more profitable is the fact that fewer fruits are destroyed during shipping or transit because the fruit's strong skin protects the flesh.

Musubi farm in Uganda, is an example of farm that has specialized in the growth and value addition of the hass avocado.

Secondly, the resilient tree crop known as cashew nut (Anacardium occindentale) is a drought resistant crop that flourishes best in arid regions with average yearly temperatures above 28°C and deep sandy loam soils with strong textural porosity. This makes it a particularly good product for Uganda's arid livestock corridor regions.

In the industrial world, cashew nuts are used to make a variety of products, including varnishes, typewriter rolls, industrial flooring tiles, gum, inks, oil cloth, paints, water-proofing paper, acid and alkali resistant cements, and laminating resins.

Economically, cashew will offer small-holder farmers a source of income, creates jobs, and bring in foreign exchange for the government.

And finally, tree nuts called macadamias have a mild, butter-like flavor and a creamy consistency.

If managed effectively, a farmer can make between 60 and 70 million shillings from an acre each year. There are over 75 trees per acre when planted with 7.5m by 7.5m spacing and two growing seasons per year, from October to March and from June to August, when there are no other food crops present. A Macadamia tree must grow for three years before it produces fruit. Early on, it can be intercropped like coffee, allowing you to make money from other crops while you wait the three years for harvesting to begin