Why Masaka farmers are  ditching vanilla for coffee

Vanilla farmers in different parts of the Masaka Sub-region, who are frustrated by the dwindling prices, have resorted to cutting down the crop, replacing it with other cash crops.
The disgruntled farmers say the Shs5,000, which is currently being offered for a kilogramme of mature harvested vanilla, is too low compared to the investment costs.

Mr Andrew Kyambadde, a prominent vanilla farmer in Lwankoni Sub-county, Kyotera District, said about nine years ago, many farmers in the area were attracted to plant the crop against other traditional cash crops because of its higher price of Shs250,000 per kilogramme.

He said the sharp fall in the price of vanilla, which was massively planted in their area, has made farmers record losses yet the cost of coffee, a renowned traditional cash crop in the area, has been on the rise for three consecutive years.
“Farmers have been prompted to uproot vanilla from their gardens and replace it with coffee whose price has been relatively high for the last three years,” he said during an interview on Wednesday.

Currently, a kilogramme of processed robusta coffee beans is selling at Shs10,000 compared to Shs5,000 of vanilla beans.
Mr Emmanuel Mutebi, a farmer in Kisekka Village, Bukomansimbi District, said growing vanilla is no longer profitable yet one is required to invest a lot of funds in the business.

“A lot of money is injected into buying vines, planting, weeding, matching, pollinating, and hiring guards to protect the garden, but since the crop is no longer profitable, it is becoming difficult to rely on it as a business,” he said.
On average, a vanilla farmer spends about Shs900,000 to hire a private guard during the entire season, which lasts six months.
However, Mr Sam Ssemanda, a vanilla trader in Kyotera District, advised farmers to stop uprooting the crop, saying prices are expected to rise again soon.

“We advise them [vanilla farmers] to maintain the crop because the fluctuation of prices is just seasonal since it is caused by excessive supply in the market, any time, very soon, the situation will normalize and continue with the business,” he said.
Uganda has some of the best vanilla in the world, which puts the country at a competitive advantage with the rest of the world’s vanilla producers. Most of Uganda’s black gourmet vanilla is exported to Europe, with the extract grades sold to the US.

In the mid-90s, vanilla became the leading source of income for many households in the areas of Mukono, Mpigi, Luweero, Bundibugyo and Kasese. But some abandoned the crop due to fluctuating prices and thieves who raided their gardens. This trend has denied players a chance to make extra money from the international market as expected.
Statistics indicate that Ugandan vanilla farmers produce   31.4 metric tonnes annually.