Beans a major source of protein are grown all over Uganda. They were traditionally grown for home consumption but are now increasingly being grown for income generation. Uganda is a surplus producer of beans and is currently exporting the surplus beans to neighbouring countries. Uganda produces about 370,000 metric tonnes of beans annually.<\/p>\n
The world leader in production of dry bean is India, followed by Brazil and Myanmar. In Africa, the most important producer is Tanzania.<\/p>\n
Importance of beans<\/strong><\/p>\n The beans are important for the following reasons:<\/p>\n Beans are sold to generate cash Bean Varieties<\/strong> \u2022 The Bush varieties are grown in most of the bean growing areas of Uganda, either as a mono crop or intercropped with various crops like cassava, maize, bananas, cotton and sorghum, depending on the area. Areas of Bean Growing In Uganda<\/strong> Other districts that produce reasonable quantities of beans include:<\/strong> Beans are grown both in the first and the second rain season with the main growing season being the first rains.<\/p>\n Storage for Beans<\/strong><\/p>\n Beans are harvested and transported to the farmer\u2019s homes for primary processing. The primary processing involves using traditional methods (sticks) to remove beans from the pods. This is followed by winnowing to remove the chuff from the Beans. The clean beans are then stored in the farmers\u2019 house since majority of the farmers cannot afford to construct stores.<\/p>\n Challenges facing the bean farmer<\/strong> Beans a major source of protein are grown all over Uganda. They were traditionally grown for home consumption but are now increasingly being grown for income generation. Uganda is a surplus producer of beans and is currently exporting the surplus beans to neighbouring countries. Uganda produces about 370,000 metric tonnes of beans annually. The world […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-667","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
They used as food in the form of leaves, fresh and grain for most families in Uganda.
The Bean production is important for the food security of Uganda<\/p>\n
The improved bean varieties available on the market include NABE 1 up to NABE 6; NABE 11 to NABE 14, K20, K132, K131, all of which are bush varieties, and NABE 7C to NABE 10C.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Climbers are mainly grown in the highly populated highlands of Kabale, Kisoro and Mbale. In comparison, they yield two to three times higher<\/p>\n
The districts with the highest production of beans in Uganda are:
\u2022 Mubende (78,027 tonnes)
\u2022 Mbale (23,637 tonnes)
\u2022 Amuru (74,671 tonnes)
\u2022 Ntungamo (137,899 tonnes)<\/p>\n
\u2022 Kabale
\u2022 Kisoro
\u2022 Arua
\u2022 Nebbi
\u2022 Lira
\u2022 Apac
\u2022 Masindi
\u2022 Hoima
\u2022 Kibaale
\u2022 Bushenyi
\u2022 Kamwenge
\u2022 Kasese
\u2022 Fort Portal
\u2022 Mbale
\u2022 Sironko
\u2022 Kapchorwa <\/p>\n
\u2022 Lack of capital necessary to improve quality and supply of beans
\u2022 The high cost of inputs and improved Technologies
\u2022 Extension Services are limited in their outreach due to the shortage of qualified professionals to train and guide farmers in improved production methods
\u2022 Soils in many parts of Uganda especially in the South West have undergone
\u2022 Degradation due to over use. Farmers do not have capacity to use fertilizers
\u2022 Lack of market information on prices, markets, and input supply stockist has
\u2022 Constrained farmers from achieving market oriented production.
\u2022 Lack of credit to agriculture production owing to the perceived high risk by banks.
\u2022 Price fluctuations caused by seasonal gluts and scarcity create additional difficulties for preparation of realistic business plans for commercial production.
\u2022 Lack of harvest handling and storage facilities force farmers to sell their produce quickly irrespective of the price.
\u2022 Incidences of pest and diseases and the lack of prevention and control measures have in some cases caused devastation of crops making the food security situation worse.
\u2022 Changing weather patterns have made planting seasons unpredictable.
\u2022 High cost of production as exhibited by expensive farm inputs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"