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For 4 years now, the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) has spearheaded the declaration of the start of the vanilla harvest season, commonly termed as “Declaration of the Vanilla Harvest Date”, which marks the beginning of the harvesting period of vanilla in a given season.
This is part of the Ministry’s initiative towards framing a regulatory environment for the vanilla subsector. Before the declaration of vanilla harvest date, a countrywide vanilla maturity assessment by a technical team from MAAIF, VANEX, and District Agriculture teams in the districts surveyed is conducted to determine vanilla maturity and harvest readiness. “The declared harvesting date should be respected country wide in order to maintain vanilla quality that international buyers desire’, said Hon Minister, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, as he declared the date, at Uganda Media Centre, on 13 th December 2022.
Declaration of the date marking the start of vanilla harvest season has yielded results; for example, Neilsen Massey a renown global vanilla buyer reported in their January 2022 Fine Vanilla and flavors Crop report, that “Uganda has capacity to provide alternate sourcing to Madagascar with a very similar flavor profile and potentially higher quality”. This supports the Ministry’s efforts to position Uganda as the best alternative source of high-quality sustainable vanilla with vanillin content of 2% and above, for global buyers who want high quality vanilla every time.
Honourable Minister Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, the state Minister for Agriculture, declared 10th January 2023 as the appropriate start date for vanilla harvesting for the second season of year 2022. He stated that Government of Uganda will take strong punitive action against anyone found harvesting, or in possession of vanilla beans before the stipulated date.
