Three years ago, Munu Nyende’s cleared his sugarcane farm for Hass avocado trees. Uganda’s soils and climate favour avocado cultivation and the fruits are considered among the best, even compared to the world’s top ten exporters.
The Ugandan government says the idea is not to replace sugarcane, but to expand the list of strategic crops. “Our intention is to have Hass avocado for export, but also have value-addition because vegetable oil is extracted from Hass avocado so the nucleus farmer will act as the off-taker, the buyer from the grass root farmers in the sub-counties but also act as a value adder.” Bwino Fred Kyakulaga - Minister of State for Agriculture In 2021, avocado exports totalled $7 billion, a figure Uganda hopes it can tap into if more farmers embrace avocado.
Source: africanews.com