The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s value of organic exports have increased from $123m in 2018 to $159m in 2021 according to a survey report conducted by the National Organic Agriculture Movement of Uganda, funded by United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) and Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture.
Experts define organic food and drinks produced by methods complying with the standards of organic farming. However, standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity.
Released on Dec.02, the findings show that in FY2022/23, the value of organic exports will increase to US$182m at an upper confidence bound, US$174m at the middle confidence bound and US$166m at the lower confidence bound.
Meanwhile, the organic share of agricultural exports in Uganda is projected to reach 12% by the year 2023, a level which had been reached in 2020, but was followed by a fall in share attributed to the sharp increase in Uganda’s overall fall in coffee exports.
The survey indicates that the trajectory in organic agriculture growth suggests that it is a promising lucrative venture that has enormous potential in transforming the agriculture sector in Uganda.
The survey recommends that the government should rationalize and operationalize the national budgetary funding towards organic agriculture sub-sector to support coordination and execution of programmes for more export growth earning and local consumption for health.
That the agriculture implementation bill should be finalized by the ministry of agriculture; there is need to establish a comprehensive database through continuous research to eliminate information asymmetry at local, regional and international level as evidence in policy action.
