¡°Farmers who follow best practices are making good money out of this crop,¡± he says. From his 25 acres, he harvests between three and five tonnes every 10 days, which brings in about $3,500 a month at the current price that Oil Palm Uganda Ltd (OPUL) is paying for raw palm seed.
How many hectares will Uganda need under oil palm?
OPUL¡¯s Damanik said Uganda will need 100,000ha under oil palm if it is to fully substitute its palm oil imports at the current consumption rates. He adds that such production can only be achieved through oil palm because of its higher yield of oil compared with other crops, which would require a lot more land.
When did oil palm grow in Uganda?
First conceived in the 1970s, oil palm growing in Uganda only gained traction after OPUL came on board in 2003, under a $100 million project sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD. Uganda consumes 550,000 tonnes of vegetable oil annually.
Are there new oil palm plantations in Buvuma?
According to Connie Magomu Masaba, co-ordinator of the National Oil Palm Project, there are plans to develop new plantations in Buvuma, where 900 hectares of a planned 5,000ha plantation has been planted since January. Other areas are Mayuge, greater Masaka and Sango Bay in southern Uganda.