Kampala, Uganda — Authorities has developed a Cupboard Paper that can set up a coverage to resuscitate the tea rising enterprise in Uganda, the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, has mentioned.
“We have now held 4 conferences thus far to prepare this cupboard paper in order that authorities can provide you with a rescue plan for our farmers,” she mentioned throughout a plenary sitting held on Thursday, 16 November 2023.
Nabbanja mentioned the worth of Ugandan tea is low in comparison with different East African nations, as a result of farmers don’t apply fertilizers, one thing she mentioned lowers the standard of tea.
Whereas presenting farmers’ issues on low costs of tea, Ephraim Biraaro (NRM, Buhweju West County) famous that by 2023, Uganda was receiving US$0.71 per kilogram on the public sale market in Mombasa, in comparison with Rwanda’s US$3.15 and Kenya’s US$2.22 per kilogram.
“The state of affairs in Uganda is because of lack of a tea coverage and regulation of the business. Authorities ought to rapid take note of the plight of tea farmers with regard to the worth cuts on the backyard,” Biraaro mentioned.
He added that garden-to-factory costs had dropped from Shs700 per kilogram to Shs200 per kilogram.
Bushenyi District Girl MP, Annet Katusiime, mentioned farmers are unable to afford the excessive costs of fertilizers and pesticides.
“There are additionally faux fertilizers available on the market that are compromising the standard of our tea. Authorities ought to intervene on this,” she mentioned.
Katusiime additionally referred to as on authorities to quickly decrease electrical energy tariffs to allow tea processing factories successfully meet manufacturing bills.
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The Prime Minister mentioned there are actions being taken to help tea farmers and the factories concerned in processing tea.
“The cupboard paper we have now drafted is a brief time period effort. Within the medium time period, authorities will provide you with subsidies on fertilizers in order that farmers can guarantee top quality of the tea they’re rising,” mentioned the Prime Minister.
The Minister for Native Authorities, Raphael Magyezi, famous that the Shs200 paid to a farmer per kilogram of tea is shared with these plucking the tea, and thus disadvantages farmers in assembly prices.
He mentioned that the coverage within the offing will go a good distance in bettering the tea rising within the nation.
“The President directed us on this and we’re prepared. The great paper will handle problems with the farmers, the processors and different stakeholders. We will come again to the Home and clarify the measures cupboard will prescribe,” Magyezi mentioned.
