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Following the onset of rains in most parts of the country, government through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) is distributing planting materials for hass avocado and macadamia to farmers across the different parts of the country.

In the current financial 2024/25, NAADS is set to distribute over 400,000 seedlings of hass avocado worth sh.2.5bn and over 100,000 seedlings of macadamia worth sh.1bn during the 2 planting seasons of August to October 2024 and March to May 2025.

During the ongoing planting season, NAADS is distributing 200,000 seedlings of hass avocado estimated to establish about 1,250 acres, and 100,000 seedlings of macadamia estimated to establish about 1,000 acres. These are being distributed to farmers who have prepared their gardens and have paid the 30 percent contribution under the cost sharing arrangement.

The distribution follows the completion of a verification exercise for seedlings that was conducted by inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) in collaboration with NAADS officials and the District Local Governments in the different districts across the country. The exercise was done to ascertain the quality and quantity of planting materials to be distributed.

The Crop Development Specialist at NAADS Mrs. Proscovia Mutumba says due to the limited budget, NAADS is unable to satisfy the increasing demand for both hass avocado and macadamia seedlings.

“Of recent, we have seen an increase in the number of farmers who have picked interest in growing hass avocado and macadamia to tap into the global demand for these high value crops. Unfortunately, we cannot satisfy this increasing demand due to the budget cuts”, exclaimed Mrs. Mutumba.

Currently, there is an annual demand of over 1,000,000 hass avocado seedlings and over 700,000 macadamia seedlings. The sh.3.5bn allocated to procurement of hass avocado and macadamia seedlings in the current financial year can only satisfy a quarter of this demand.

To date, the five established avocado factories are struggling and operating below capacity because there is little avocado for them to process. These factories whose preference is the hass variety have resorted to importation of avocado fruits from neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania to keep their factories functioning.

During the recently concluded stakeholder meeting for hass avocado and macadamia that took place at Musubi farm in Mayuge district, there was a call by the proprietors of avocado factories to scale up the production of hass avocado in Uganda.

The Executive Director NAADS Dr. Samuel Mugasi says NAADS together with the Ministry of Agriculture are working with other stakeholders in the two value chains to ensure increase in the production of the two crops to satisfy both the local and international markets.

Government of Uganda is supporting strategic interventions for promoting and scaling up production of emerging high value crops including Macadamia, Hass Avocado for household incomes and export earnings in line with Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries Value Chain Strategy.

In the current financial year, NAADS is also distributing beef bulls, maize mills among other agricultural inputs.