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Government of Uganda has announced the official harvest period for Vanilla Season B, running from December 27, 2024, to March 27, 2025. Minister Fred Bwino Kyakulaga highlighted initiatives to position Uganda as a global leader in high-quality vanilla production, including quality control measures, digital traceability, and collaboration with partners like Catholic Relief Services.

The Government has announced that the harvest period for Vanilla Season B will run from December 27, 2024, to March 27, 2025.

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Hon. Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, stated that these dates are intended to guide farmers, traders, processors, exporters, and their agents on the precise period during which vanilla beans are ready for harvest across the country.

He noted that vanilla, the second most valuable spice globally, contributed $20.66 million (UGX 75.1 billion) in foreign exchange earnings to the Ugandan economy in 2023.

“Our objective is to position Uganda as a leading and preferred source of high-quality vanilla in the global market. Initiatives such as declaring official harvest dates are critical in achieving this goal,” Hon. Kyakulaga emphasized during a media briefing at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on December 17, 2024.

The Minister further highlighted that the Ministry is collaborating with various partners, including the Catholic Relief Services (CRS), to implement strategies aimed at streamlining Uganda’s vanilla sector. These strategies include:

Disseminating district vanilla quality control ordinances across 10 major vanilla-growing districts.

Registering and licensing vanilla traders, processors, exporters, and agents.

Developing a national agricultural digital traceability system.

The Catholic Relief Services noted that sector stakeholders have recently developed a comprehensive road map through a consultative process to guide activities in the vanilla industry. These efforts are geared towards enhancing the production, processing, and export of high-quality vanilla while supporting Ugandan farmers.

According to the Bank of Uganda, Uganda exported 449.3 metric tonnes of vanilla from January to September 2024, marking the highest export volume since vanilla cultivation began in the country.

“This remarkable performance reflects increased production, the dedication of smallholder farmers to vanilla cultivation, and the superior quality of Uganda’s vanilla,” Hon. Kyakulaga remarked.

He also explained that the harvest dates were determined through a rigorous maturity survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, in collaboration with the Association of Vanilla Exporters Uganda, Makerere University, and CRS.

David Hirst, Chief of Party at Catholic Relief Services, stated that through their partnership, scientific approaches have been employed to accurately determine the harvest period, reducing losses for farmers caused by inaccurate dates.

“These scientific approaches include physical observations (pod color, size, and length), pollination data analysis, vanillin and moisture content analysis, thermal time assessments, and stakeholder feedback during the validation of survey reports,” Hirst explained.

While acknowledging the current low vanilla prices, Hon. Kyakulaga urged farmers to maintain healthy vines as the market conditions are projected to improve over the next 12 to 18 months. He also advised farmers to selectively harvest mature vanilla beans and cautioned against early harvesting or possessing green, immature beans.