Against all odds, he introduced tea in Kamwenge

Bekunda attending to a group of farmers on a study visit to a tea nursery. PHOTO BY ALEX ESAGALA 

By RUTH KATUSABE & FELIX BASIIME
Posted 


Wednesday, March 2  

2016 at 

02:00

Edwin Bekunda Atukunda, founder of Edwin Foundation Tea Initiative (EFOTI), is on to something in the tea industry in Kamwenge District after he carried out a research and later set up a tea technology training centre, the first of its kind in Uganda.

His research, carried out in 2012-2014, found out that tea can grow well in the Sub-counties of Kahunge, Kabambiro, Busiriba, Ntaara, Bwizi, Bihanga, Kicece, Nkoma, Matsyoro, Kamwenge and all areas surrounding Kibale National Park.
“Over 10 new improved high yielding tea clones that meet international market standards can best be grown in Kamwenge’s climate” says Mr Atukunda.

Mobilised
Atukunda’s research follows President Yoweri Museveni’s visit to Kamwenge Catholic parish on January 1, 2014 when he called for a research on soils in Kamwenge to establish whether tea and fruits can grow well in the area.
Tea is grown in the neighbouring districts of Kyenjojo and Kabarole on a large scale.

After his research, he mobilised and trained other famers by supplying tea seedlings from his nursery beds and later organised the launch of tea growing in Kahunge Sub-County and Kamwenge Town Council in Kamwenge District.

“By that time, 40 famers were on board. Currently, I have 2,120 famers who are willing to plant tea. At first the local people never embraced the idea of tea growing. I later mobilised them on radios and carried out hands-on trainings for over 100 farmers in each sub-county (all the trained farmers received certificates in Effective Tea Husbandry and Estate Management). Later on, I used my resources and took the trained farmers on a study tour to Rwebitaba Tea Research Centre in Kyenjojo District” he says.

He adds, “The same attitude was with some district leaders (apart from Kibale County MP Frank Tumwebaze, RDC Elijah Biryabarema, Woman MP Dorothy Nsheijja, CAO Masereka Amis Asuman, and production coordinator Dr Kamanyire Alfred) who preferred promoting only coffee growing to tea growing but I managed to start a tea nursery bed at Busingye in Kamwenge Town Council which I used for demonstration that attracted others”

His other entry point came when on October 31, 2014 Naads advertised for bids at national level to supply agricultural products, including tea seedlings where Atukunda picked interest and emerged the best in Kamwenge and Kabarole districts.
“On March 5, 2015, I signed a contract with the government as an individual to supply tea seedlings to farmers, also my famers in Kamwenge have over 12 million seedlings in 60 nursery beds under the Edwin Foundation and are targeting 2,000 farmers who are willing to plant tea” says Atukunda.

With this development, tea farmers in Kamwenge have formed Kamwenge tea farmers SACCO Ltd to extend financial support to all EFOTI trained farmers. “Currently, the SACCO has over 200 registered members most of whom are tea farmers and have supplied tea farm inputs worth Shs 80m to 60 tea nursery operators to enable them raise over 10 million seedlings. Once this is planted, we have absolute potential to sustain a factory” he adds.

He added, “Given support, the foundation is expecting to set up a tea factory in 2 years to come so that it can encourage more people to grow tea with good clones which are mature”.

Atukunda has over 20 years experience in tea growing and general agricultural practices which he has applied on EFOTI’s 50 acres of land with 2 acres of tea nursery bed, 5 acres mother garden with over 10 high yielding tea clones, 20 acres tea plantation and also reserved space for expansion (the proposed Tea Factory, Tea Technology Development Centre/Institute and the Agricultural Skills Development Center in Kamwenge District.

What farmers say
Ms Loy Mwesigwa, a resident of Lyamugomera in Kahunge Sub-County says she started up a tea seedling bed with 200,000 seedlings and looking healthy because the soils are favorable.

“I tried coffee it didn’t go well before I resorted to tea growing although watering is a challenge, I use 50 Jerricans per day and I pay my manager Shs 10,000 a day also 4 casual laborers whom I use for weeding are paid Shs. 8000 daily but I love my project and its doing well” Mwesigwa says.

She adds, “EFOTI has helped people to get jobs because I had no interest at first until I acquired knowledge for the last one year through practical and theoratical trainings”.
“Our main challenge is that some agricultural staff and the district leaders prefer coffee growing to tea because some are coffee nursery operators and think that if they support tea growing they might lose market for their coffee seedlings” says Mwesigwa.

Mr Sabastian Bagamuhunda, a resident of Kasojo trading centre owns a tea garden in Busiriba Sub County after picking interest from EFOTI. After being trained he found that the soils are good for tea growing.
“Some agricultural officers discouraged me from the tea project and advised me to embrace making loses but my story is different today” Bagamuhunda says.

Mr Herbert Mutebi, a resident of Kagada II, Kinyagara parish, Kahunge Sub County has planted over three acres with 28000 seedlings.