Africa-Press – Uganda. Kalungu District Council has passed an ordinance to fight vanilla theft and promote good farming practices within the district.
According to the Kalungu district chairperson, Mr Kamadi Nyombi Mukiibi, the ordinance aims at coordinating and regulating the growing and buying of vanilla in the area.
‘’Vanilla theft has been rampant in the district yet culprits were being given lenient sentences, forcing farmers to hire armed guards after losing trust in our judicial system. But this ordinance will guide judges on punishments against any culprits,’’ he said in an interview on Wednesday.
Under the ordinance, anybody found in a garden stealing vanilla will be jailed for at least six months, as well as compensating the owners for all costs.
It also discourages all poor farming methods applied by farmers like the use of chemicals which reduces the organic content of the vanilla beans, and culprits risk a penalty of Shs400,000.
“We plan to use the same ordinance to regulate the operations of vanilla dealers through licensing which will boost the district revenue base,” he said.
Mr Mukiibi said the ordinance has since been forwarded to the Solicitor General and it will be gazetted after his confirmation.
Mr Paul Ssebaggala, one of the prominent vanilla farmers in the district, said he is optimistic that the ordinance will help to reduce vanilla theft in the community.
Kalungu District is among the leading producers of vanilla beans in central Uganda.
Uganda has some of the best vanilla in the world and this puts it at a competitive advantage with the rest of the world’s vanilla producers. Most of Uganda’s black gourmet vanilla is exported to Europe with the extract grades sold to the US.
Available statistics indicate that Ugandan vanilla farmers produce 31.4 metric tonnes annually.
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