Uganda is taking decisive steps to streamline its tea industry through the development of new regulations aimed at improving tea growing and management practices. The move is intended to protect the sector from the adverse effects of fluctuating international prices, often linked to poor quality and mismanagement.
The directive was issued during a high-level engagement with tea growers, nursery bed operators, and processors in Bushenyi District, Western Uganda. Stakeholders were tasked to provide input on the viability of tea as either a high- or low-value crop, a determination that will inform future government interventions.
Experts such as Prof. Edward Rugumayo Kabwegyere and Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu highlighted the potential of tea to yield up to 8,000 kilograms per acre under intensive management, underscoring the importance of adopting best practices and modernizing cultivation methods.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has also been tasked to establish specialized desks for different crops rather than creating new statutory authorities, a model stakeholders had proposed. According to the Ministry, setting up crop-specific desks will ensure better coordination, efficiency, and support across the sector.
In addition, the government pledged to set up a dedicated fund for fertilizers to boost yields, alongside a Shs 312 billion package to help tea growers and processors clear existing loans and enhance the quality of Uganda’s tea for international competitiveness.
Agriculture Minister Hon. Frank Tumwebaze appealed to farmers to embrace self-regulation as government finalizes the broader regulatory framework. The Uganda Tea Outgrowers Association Chairperson, Mr. Onesimus Matsiko, stressed the urgent need for a zoning policy and stronger quality controls, noting that addressing fertilizer costs and green leaf quality would solve over 80 percent of the industry’s challenges.
The meeting brought together policymakers, Members of Parliament, and other key stakeholders, all aligned on the urgent need to streamline the sector for greater productivity, resilience, and global market relevance.
