Uganda: Vanilla farmers eye $52m in earnings with new marketing plan

Vanex, an association of vanilla exporters has launched a marketing strategy that seeks to increase the country’s annual earnings in the cash crop to about $52m (about sh197b).Speaking during the strategy's launch at Golf Course Hotel in Kampala on February 21, Prossy Tumushabe, executive director at Vanex, said that vanilla exports as of the end of 2022 were estimated at about 250 metric tons (MT).“On the job we have started, this is the easiest step of launching the marketing strategy. However, when we send our brand out there, it's like we have exposed ourselves. We are saying we are here; come for Uganda’s vanilla. We must work backwards to maintain the volumes. It should be seen to grow because our strategic ambition is to double the production to 500,000 MT,” she said.“With the current 250 MT and vanilla being a high-value crop, the forex earnings are about $26m, and this is set to double because our target is to double volumes. It will be about $52m by 2027. I want to ...