By Ebi Kesiena
According to reports, some farmers in Uganda have hired gunmen to protect their cocoa as thieves attempt to cash in on their crop’s increased value.
Dry weather conditions in Ghana and Ivory Coast, the world’s largest cocoa producers, have propelled global cocoa prices to their highest levels in over a decade.
According to Mutanga Grace, a Ugandan cocoa farmer and CEO of Mkulima Exports Uganda, roughly 30% of the cocoa beans produced in the East African country is being stolen.
He said that farmers in the country are forking out armed guards and dogs in an attempt to protect their cocoa, which is a key ingredient in products like chocolate, ice creams and cakes.
“Cocoa in the country right now is like a hotcake, someone takes little but has taken a lot, a lot of money,” he said.
Cocoa is Uganda’s fourth-biggest commodity export after coffee, tea and fish. Cocoa production in Uganda has seen a steady increase over the last few years. Cocoa is a perennial crop that responds well in rainy tropical areas, with a maximum annual average of 30 – 32ºC.
In Uganda, cocoa is grown in a number of districts where the conditions are suitable for cultivation mainly in the central region, western, southeastern and southwestern regions, and some parts of the eastern region mainly in Busoga region.
In the past decade, the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries is running a campaign to popularize cocoa as a cash crop as, the country is fetching more from the export of the crop.
Cocoa is ranked among the high-value export commodities that offer great economic opportunities for increasing farmers’ incomes and foreign exchange earnings for the country.
