Traders sell fruits in Nakasero market in 2023. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
Once regarded as East Africa’s food basket, Uganda is rapidly losing its agricultural dominance as local horticultural produce disappears from market stalls, replaced by imports from neighbouring countries. The decline in domestic production threatens the country’s food security and economic stability.
Key agricultural products such as beans, Irish potatoes, carrots, peas, mangoes, tomatoes, onions, rice, and animal feeds are increasingly sourced from Kenya and Tanzania.
The spokesperson of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (Naro), Mr Frank Mugabi, said they are aware of the onslaught of imported agricultural products on the local market, but there are efforts to reverse the trend.
“We are aware of the issue. We are working with the Korea International Cooperation Agency to start having a seedlings project here. Lack of seedlings has had a great impact. Most of the seedlings are imported and they are expensive. The farmers who invest in the buying of the seedlings, fertilisers would end up with high costs,” Mr Mugabi said.
According to Naro, Uganda imports vegetable seeds worth $7m (about Shs25b) annually.
“With the increasing market demand for vegetables and fruits driven by rapid urbanisation and changing dietary needs, the adoption of these improved technologies is expected to double Uganda’s current annual vegetable production, which is estimated at 5.3 million tonnes and worth $34m,” Naro stated issues in June last year.
Farmers struggle to compete The rise of imported foods on the market, especially the horticulture products, which Uganda had dominance in their production, worries Director of Policy at the Uganda National Farmers Federation, Mr Caleb Gumisiriza.
Mr Gumisiriza said if the trend continues, there will be far reaching consequences to farmers, the economy and the effort to fight poverty.
“When the population relies on imported food, the production in the country will decline. When food production collapses, the farmers will get poorer,” Mr Gumisiriza said.
According to data from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), approximately 60 trucks carrying agricultural exports from Kenya enter Uganda daily.
The figures indicate that Irish potatoes make the bulk of these imports while the other dominant commodities are tomatoes, carrots, onions, passion fruits and beans.
Mr Geoffrey Ojambo, a Kenyan clearing agent, stated that each day, between 10 and 15 trucks carrying tomatoes from Kenya cross the border into Uganda, with Kampala as the primary destination.
Ms Catherine Mbabaali, a horticulture dealer at Nakawa Market, attributes the preference to their affordability, longer shelf life, and better quality compared to local varieties.
“Kenyan tomatoes can remain on the stall for more than two weeks without rotting yet Ugandan tomatoes can’t last for a week,” Ms Mbabaali said.
On a good day, a box of Ugandan tomatoes sells for Shs500,000 and contains more pieces, whereas a Kenyan box, priced between Shs250,000 and Shs300,000, has fewer pieces.
Ms Mbabaali noted that differences in packaging and quality significantly impact sales. Kenyan tomatoes are well-sorted, clean, and uniform in size, whereas Ugandan tomatoes vary in size and perish at different rates, requiring vendors to sort them daily.
“Kenyans pack their tomatoes in smaller size boxes because they know that it doesn’t make sense for market vendors to buy so many perishables at once. A vendor will be able to sell off a Kenyan box in a week. It is a good marketing trick," she said.
She noted that the same quality standards apply to other agricultural products from Kenya and Tanzania. Farmers and food dealers are experiencing the impact first-hand.
Mr Charles Sseruyange, the chairperson of the tomato importers and dealers in Uganda, said Kenyan government interventions in agriculture have enabled Kenyan tomatoes to outcompete Ugandans.
“All the chemicals we use in the production of agricultural products are taxed. Sometimes, they are fake. But in Kenya, their government is helping farmers to acquire fertilisers, chemicals and funding through their saving cooperatives. So, we import tomatoes from Kenya, pay taxes at the border, but they will be cheaper than Ugandan ones on the market,” Mr Sseruyange said.
Mr Sseruyange also admitted to purchasing seedlings and some fertilisers from Kenya.
“The quantity of fertilisers that I can buy at Shs1m in the market in Uganda, they are sold as cheap as Shs100,000 in Kenya. Kenya is providing them to the farmers at subsidised prices. At the same time, they are giving cheap loans and free agricultural extension services," he said.
Although the same agro-chemical companies operating in Kenya have branches in Uganda, their products are more expensive in Uganda.
“A bottle of agro-chemical that goes for Shs200,000 in Uganda is at Shs80,000 in Kenya. How do you expect a Ugandan farmer to compete with Kenyans? To make ends meet, Ugandans either apply less of the agro-chemicals or get those of poor quality, which Mr Sseruyange explained that differences in agricultural practices between the two countries result in varying yields.
In Uganda, tomato gardens take about two months before harvesting begins, whereas in Kenya, the crop matures over a longer period of more than three months, leading to different output levels.
He also noted that Uganda has yet to establish strong, product-specific Saccos, unlike Kenya, where farmers are well-organised and unified in pricing strategies, minimising market fluctuations.
Previously, urban areas in Uganda sourced their Irish potatoes from Kigezi in the west, Mt Elgon in the east, and Mubende in the central region. Irish potatoes from Kenya have also made inroad on the Ugandan market.
Mr Yahaya Kamba, a clearing agent in Uganda, who mainly clears Irish potatoes at the Uganda-Kenya border, said a huge consignment of Irish potatoes makes its way into the country each day.
“I cannot tell you how many trucks carrying Irish from Kenya arrive here at the border but the number is quite big,” Mr Kamba said.
Mr Kamba noted that while Uganda produces large quantities of Irish potatoes from Sebei and Kabale, Kenyan varieties are preferred for making chips. He explained that Ugandan potatoes are better suited for boiling, but the growing demand for chips has made Kenyan imports more popular.
Late last year, Irish potatoes were nearly wiped off the menu in many homes and restaurants after importers halted importation from Kenya due to a disagreement with URA over taxes.
"The prices of Irish potatoes skyrocketed in Kampala and other parts of Uganda that it doesn’t make sense for market vendors to buy so many perishables at once. A vendor will be able to sell off a Kenyan box in a week. It is a good marketing trick,” he said.
He noted that the same quality standards apply to other agricultural products from Kenya and Tanzania. Farmers and food dealers are experiencing the impact first-hand.
Kigezi Sub-region, which is a major Irish potato-growing area in Uganda, has been suffering from poor yields due to a range of challenges, including poor varieties, land fragmentation and exhausted soil fertility.
Mr Robert Mutabazi, a commercial farmer of Irish potato in Kigezi , said: “Seed quality and variety is another challenge because quality seed is very expensive and at one time, we used to import it from Kenya although these days some farmers have been trained on clean seed production, making it available in the region.”
Kenya’s national potato strategy, implemented since 2015, has significantly boosted production through improved seed varieties, cooperative societies, and aggressive marketing.
According to URA, Kenya’s Irish potato exports to Uganda are valued at approximately Shs45 billion annually, and the volumes continue to rise. The new Kenya government’s fertiliser subsidy programme, which was launched in 2023, has also enabled better yields and reduced competition in Uganda.
Some of the subsidised fertilisers from Kenya are smuggled to Uganda.
Mr Gumisiriza, who has visited Kenyan farmers multiple times to learn from their best practices, said the Kenyan government has established a well-coordinated agricultural system where all stakeholders communicate effectively.
“They have structures that they have put in place. They have different councils that regulate production, marketing and provision of inputs....Kenyan farmers associations are stronger and have a lot of influence," he said.
Beans and onions: The shift to imports Meanwhile, Kenya, which once relied on importing beans from Uganda, has now begun exporting beans to Kampala.
Mr Zakayo Mahande, a trader at Busia Main Market, noted an increase in the volume of trucks bringing beans from Kenya. He observed that about 10 out of 20 trucks a day now supply beans to his market.
“The Kenyan beans depending on the variety are selling at Shs3,000 per kilogramme while the Ugandan beans are selling between Shs3,500 and Shs4,000 a kilogramme,” Mr Mahande said.
He mentioned that more Ugandans, particularly from northern Uganda and Kampala City, are travelling to Busia to purchase the affordable beans from Kenya.
Mr George Kikomeko, a trader and local leader in Busia Municipality, said that Kenyans tend to keep their agricultural successes private.
“Unfortunately, Ugandans are not allowed to cross into Kenya to buy directly from the farmers. We have to wait until the Kenyans bring the products to the market,” Mr Kikomeko explained.
Mr Ivana Kareija, a dealer in beans in Kabale Municipality, western Uganda, stocks beans from Tanzania, which are preferred by customers despite being more expensive.
“For now, I am importing beans from Tanzania because they look so good and attractive to the buyers. They are newer harvests compared to the ones from Uganda,” Mr Kareija said.
He said the price of the Tanzanian-grown beans are Shs200 higher than those from Uganda.
Mr Alexander Turinabo, an onion producer in Kabale District, said Tanzanian farmers’ supplies between the months of September and December have a hard time.
Kigezi, one of the largest onion producers in the country, enjoys a peak season from May to July. However, for the remainder of the year, the market is largely dominated by onions from Kenya and Tanzania.
“During our harvest season, we sell a kilogramme of onions between Shs3,000 and Shs4,000. When the Tanzania harvest season starts, the prices of our products drop to the lowest. This forces many buyers to run after the Tanzanian onions that are sold at Shs2,000 per a kilogramme. Besides, their onions look fresh and big in size compared to ours,” Mr Turinabo said.
Rice production in decline
Meanwhile, rice—now a staple in Uganda—is increasingly being grown in Tanzania, forcing many Ugandan farmers out of business.
In January, the Monitorreported that Uganda’s rice production had collapsed due to competition from Tanzanian imports. Local rice production fell by 110,000 metric tonnes in 2023, despite the national demand standing at 470,000 metric tonnes.
Mr Isaac Kasaija, the chairperson of Rice Business Sector Association Limited in Uganda, noted that the gap in local production is largely filled by rice from Tanzanian growers.
Uganda imports 360,000 metric tonnes of rice from Tanzania annually. Local rice growers sought President Museveni’s help to protect them, but he declined on grounds that it would encourage laziness among Ugandan farmers.
Mr Museveni said such competition is good for Uganda and the region as locals get quality and cheaper products imported from their neighbouring countries.
Call for policy reforms
Ugandan farmers have been seeking government protection, similar to the actions taken by Kenya and Tanzania, which often impose non-tariff barriers on Ugandan products such as milk, maize, sugar, and chicken to safeguard their agricultural sectors.
President Museveni rejected the request to impose non-tariff barriers on agricultural products from East African Community members, stating that it would violate regional importation laws.
In response, the Naro’s spokesperson, Mr Mugabi, said they began counter measures by launching a seedling project at the National Crop Resources Institute in Namulonge, on the outskirts of Kampala, last year.
Compiled by Andrew Bagala, David Owori & Robert Muhereza
