February 12, 2021

News

#OutToLunch Any lessons from pine, vanilla and ginger growers for Hass Avocado farmers?

By Denis Jjuuko In the 1990s, there was a craze that took the country by storm. Everyone was going to become rich, extremely rich. All that one needed to do was to plant vanilla. People who longed to become billionaires cut down coffee trees, banana plantations, and put every effort in growing vanilla. The price was so high that vanilla crops are said to have been guarded by people with guns day and night. There were no taking chances. Of course, a few people became wealthy from vanilla before the price stabilized. The main reason for the price increment of vanilla was a result of a harsh weather event in Madagascar, the world’s leading exporter. When Madagascar was able to produce again in the numbers they do, the price stabilized. Even though vanilla’s price is still high compared to many other crops in Uganda, it also needs a lot of care that the get-rich-quick farmers are not ready to do. Frustrated and looking for the next big thing, something else would soon catch their attention. This time it was moringa, a tree said to have hundreds of health benefits. If you planted a few moringa trees, you would kiss poverty goodbye for life. Your grandchildren’s future would be secured, for real. Those who planted the tree were soon looking for buyers and they were not coming in the numbers expected. Some cut down the trees for firewood, thereby turning their dreams into ash. Another tree was to be introduced soon. One acre of pine trees would make one a billionaire. It is the world’s most wanted tree needed to make wood and its byproducts, we were told. Forestry authorities dished out land to those who didn’t even want. You earned everyone’s ear if you mentioned that you owned a few acres of pine trees. Lifetime savings and benefits for retirement were withdrawn and all invested in pine trees in preparation for living the life of billionaires. Others tendered in their papers for early retirement. Why suffer so much when you can plant a few trees and die rich? Soon the price of pine dropped. Supply exceeded demand. Like vanilla, pine is tedious to grow. It also takes a lot of time maturing at around 15 years (depending on species). Many of the retirees died before they became rich. Today, there aren’t many people talking about pine anymore. Owning them doesn’t raise eyebrows to most people. Less than five years ago, we were told that you would make unbelievable money if you grow just one acre of ginger. Last week, ginger farmers in Gomba, the media reported, told one of the presidential candidates that they will only vote in a candidate who promises better prices. A bag (100kg) of ginger fell from Shs800,000 to around Shs150,000. Although ginger intake has increased during this COVID-19 period, the prices have not gone up for the farmers. Today, you have probably received an email about Hass Avocado. “Hass Avocados mature after two years and a single tree can produce 3,000 fruits (500kgs). An acre requires 166 trees, which comes to 450,000 fruits. A fruit is sold at Shs550 which means that you will make Shs1,650,000 per a year per a tree. With just an acre, you will make Shs273.9m a year,” the emails and flyers read. The cost of planting an acre to earn all this money is very minimal, they tell us. Now, many people are growing Hass Avocado in preparation of making Shs273.9m a year per acre or even double if you do the export yourself according to the promoters who are mainly seedling sellers. If you want to be respected among your peers, mention the number of Hass Avocado you own and roll out the above figures. But have we as a country learnt anything from vanilla, moringa, ginger, and pine? Have we created a value chain for Hass Avocado? What will happen when the fruits mature and a lockdown happens and nobody can export? How do we minimize post-harvest losses which are one of the challenges we face in agriculture in Africa? There is a need to invest in value addition for Hass Avocado and its value chain so that people don’t make losses when five years from today, there will be more fruits on the market than people who need them. We can make healthier edible oil from it, juice, and even snacks, among others.   The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com  

Read More »
News

#OutToLunch The government should dispense with pride and fully open the internet

By Denis Jjuuko Rachael and her husband live somewhere in New York where she works as a nurse. Before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, she used to come to Kampala at least once a year to check on her relatives and projects. Whenever she was in Kampala, she used to stay in hotels. After some time, she got tired of living in hotels with her young kids. She decided to build a block of six apartments on the land she had earlier acquired in Najjeera. When the apartments are done, her plan is to rent out five of them and keep the sixth for herself whenever she is around. Late last year, Rachael contracted Ibra, a skilled builder to start construction. Ibra and Rachael worked out a plan where he is paid per phase. Every day, Ibra calls Rachael on WhatsApp and updates her on the progress made. Using WhatsApp’s video call feature, Rachael sees what is happening at her site in real-time, makes inquiries on issues that may not be clear and approves changes, if any. This arrangement has been perfect for Rachael as well as for Ibra. On the site at any one time, about 30 young men and a few women earn money every day. The building material hardware owner has been very happy as the site’s progress means that his business has been growing. National Water has been collecting payments for the water used. The truck driver has been delighted supplying sand, bricks, and coarse aggregate, among other materials. Sarah, a widow and neighbour to Rachel over the last few months has been feeding the 30 young men and women with porridge in the morning and posho and beans mainly for lunch. She had never seen this windfall in a while. She has been walking with a smile of recent. However, Rachael has temporarily stopped the construction of the apartments. She is not sure what is going on at the site. She has failed to get the latest update on the site as Ibra cannot send images and videos to her. The internet has been off in Uganda for days. When it was restored, the government kept social media blocked. Rachael had wanted Ibra to download the Zoom app, which didn’t work as app stores are also blocked. Ibra is a skilled builder with many years of experience. However, the internet is not his thing. He reluctantly joined WhatsApp after he felt irritated by his children and now, clients like Rachael. Until Racheal can be sure of uninterrupted communication with Ibra, there won’t be money being sent. She wants to be sure she can do spot checks at any time of the day. She wants to be involved in every stage. Racheal’s forced decision to halt her apartments’ construction means that 30 young men and women are idle, without any work. Sarah has lost her business. The smile is gone. The truck guy is now stuck with his sand. The hardware owner’s stock isn’t moving at the speed it was. The mobile money agent where Ibra withdraws money has lost some income. Ibra is stuck too, looking for other sites. The sad thing is that Ibra isn’t Ibra and Sarah aren’t the only people stuck. Many people are. A woman who works in Owino and has been selling her second hand clothing using social media can’t do much anymore. She has no easy way to reach her customers. Traditional media is out of reach for her. Social media had eased her way of doing business. Now it is off. Apparently, the government is unhappy that a few of its fake accounts were deleted by Facebook and Twitter, at least according to the foreign affairs minister. However, the government’s decision to shut down the internet and social media is affecting it as well. The Uganda Revenue Authority is missing OTT tax targets and businesses failed to file their returns on time as well as sending out invoices. The telecom companies are missing money in terms of data and levies on mobile money transactions. The internet today has become as important as food, shelter and clothing. It is the way of life of many people. It is the way through which government, businesses, individuals, and large organisations do business. Due to COVID-19, businesses are struggling to stay afloat and the last thing they need is the internet and social media being off. The government should dispense with its pride and restore the internet fully so that Ibra and Sarah and the hundreds of people who were benefiting from Rachael’s construction site can work again.   The writer is a communication and visibility consultant. djjuuko@gmail.com    

Read More »