Without digging trenches along the hilltops and valleys, followed by heavy mulching, pineapple cultivation on the rugged terrain of Maziba Sub-county in Kabale District would be virtually impossible.
For decades, the sub-county has been renowned for its thriving pineapple production. The enterprise’s success even prompted the government to construct a pineapple wine processing plant worth approximately Shs400 million in the area to promote value addition and local employment.
Mr George Akankwasa, 45, the chairperson of the Maziba Pineapple Growers Association and a resident of Kitamba ‘B’ Village, Nyanja Parish, notes that pineapples have become the primary cash crop for nearly 1,000 farmers in the area.
‘Without better farming practices such as digging trenches and proper mulching to control soil erosion and heavy runoff during the rainy season, you cannot sustain a pineapple garden here. Most plots are situated on steep, sloping hilltops and valleys. Farmers in this area have mastered these techniques, which is why we have succeeded,’ Mr Akankwasa explains.
Mr Akankwasa started growing pineapples in 2000 on less than an acre of land. Today, he manages about 10 acres scattered across Nyanja Parish.
‘I harvest about 10,000 pineapples per month, with average farm-gate prices ranging between Shs300 and Shs500 depending on size. I chose pineapple farming because, under good management-which requires organic manure from goats, cows, poultry, and pigs-it yields a monthly harvest throughout the year,’ he adds.
Because the crop is labor-intensive, Mr Akankwasa employs around 40 casual workers weekly to manage mulching, weeding, manure application, and desilting trenches. His team also handles harvesting and carries ripe pineapples from the hilltops to the main road, where they are loaded onto trucks bound for market centers in Kisoro, Kabale, and Rubare.
‘On average, I pay Shs7,000 per day to each casual worker, which has helped me maintain a reliable workforce across my scattered farms,’ Mr Akankwasa says.
Despite his success, he faces ongoing hurdles, including pineapple theft, difficult terrain, crop pests and diseases, poor road networks, price fluctuations, and rising fuel costs. Nonetheless, the proceeds from his farm have enabled him to acquire more land, pay school fees for his children, build a permanent home, and provide local employment.
‘My future dream is to purchase land to rear cattle and goats so I can produce my own organic manure. I would also love to venture into processing, but I fear heavy taxes and the bureaucratic burden of obtaining Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) certification,’ Mr Akankwasa says.
The enterprise offers a critical lifeline to local laborers. Mr Denis Byaruhanga, a casual worker in the area, says the booming industry keeps him employed.
‘If it were not for the pineapple enterprise, I would be unemployed. My main job is carrying pineapples from the steep hilltops down to the main road. I earn about Shs14,000 a day, which adds up to a reasonable monthly income to feed my family,’ Mr Byaruhanga notes.
Local vendors in Kabale Town also credit the sub-county’s farms with sustaining their livelihoods. Mr Nicholas Kamasi, who has vended pineapples alongside Mr Wilber Tumuheki for seven years, describes his daily routine.
‘I ride my bicycle from Kabale Town to buy pineapples from farmers in Nyanja Parish and resell them in town. I sell about 100 pineapples a day, buying each at Shs500 and selling between Shs800 and Shs1,000 depending on the size. Though tiring, it leaves me with a profit,’ Mr Kamasi says, adding that bad roads and high market dues remain their primary challenges.
From a civic perspective, the Maziba Sub-county LCIII Chairperson, Mr Onesmus Mutungye, highlights the environmental benefits of the trade, noting that pineapple canopy and root structures act as effective ground cover.
‘There is visible economic development in Nyanja and Birambo parishes because of pineapple growing. If farmers growing coffee and bananas in other parts of the sub-county adopt trenching and mulching, environmental disasters in our region will be greatly minimized,’ Mr Mutungye says.
He observes that some residents are already uprooting eucalyptus plantations to plant pineapples due to higher profitability, leaving few idle youths in the participating parishes. However, Mr Mutungye urges the government to fully operationalize and support the local wine factory.
‘The government should invest in value-addition technologies to support farming in this area. Boosting the Maziba pineapple wine factory would provide a reliable market and insulate our farmers against price volatility,’ Mr Mutungye states.