This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
Uganda's junior minister for agriculture, Christopher Kibazanga, has announced a 30-day delay in the harvesting of the country's vanilla crop, pushing the availability of new produce to January 15, 2020.
The earlier planned harvest time set in May this year was moved to December, but the government has now decided to delay it further to ensure that the crop is harvested at the optimal time.
The delay is aimed at preventing premature harvesting, which has compromised the quality of the crop and reduced export receipts from one of Uganda's major exports.
The change in weather patterns, particularly late rains, has also been cited as a factor in the delay, as it has caused late pollination across all the key vanilla-producing regions in the country.
Uganda is seeking to capitalise on the increasing world demand for all-natural and organic flavouring spice by major global food companies, especially in Europe and North America, by ensuring quality and quantity.
Last year, the country produced about 300,000 kilogrammes of vanilla and exported 23,000 kilogrammes of cured vanilla worth $6.40 million.
