Patrick Jaramogi
22 July 2008
Kampala — BRITANNIA Allied Industries, a local company, which produces Splash juice, has put aside over sh50m for the purchase of mangoes annually.
"We need at least 5,000 tonnes of mangoes annually. However, we get only 800 tonnes. We need 4,000 more tonnes. Uganda has the potential to grow more mangoes but it has not been exploited," said Sridharan Stidar, the marketing general manager.
This follows the low supply of mangoes that is threatening the production of mango juice.
Stidar said they had hired agronomists to identify potential soils and land for growing mangoes. He added that they had set up model farms in Mukono and Kawanda to grow Alphonso mangoes.
Denis Mbabali, an agronomist, said the farmers would be supplied with high quality mango seeds.
"We shall also check whether their land is compatible with high yields. They will be advised on how best to get better yields," he said.
Ajay N. Gupta, the operations general manager, said: "It takes three years for alphonso mangoes to mature. After maturity, a farmer can harvest between eight and 10 tonnes of mangoes from one tree during its peak season. A farmer makes two harvests annually."
He said 100 mango trees could be grown on one acre of land, which yields between 18 to 20 tonnes of mangoes each season. This comes to 40 tonnes annually.
Britania pays between sh150 and sh600 for a kilogramme of mangoes, depending on quality and type. Stidar urged farmers to grow Dodo, Ssejjembe, Ssu, Namata, Kona and Asante mango types, saying they were suitable for juice manufacturing.
"For the improved varieties, farmers can grow Alphonso, Kent (dodo), Glenn, Bire, Palvin, Boribo, Tommy and atikin.
"Farmers interested in supplying us with mangoes can come to our factory in Ntinda," said Stidar.
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I read the article on mango development in Uganda with interest. I am an entomologist with more than 18 years of experience of mango production, packing and processing in South, North and West Africa. How can I make contact with this company?