General information
Uganda is located in Eastern Africa extending from 1 o N to 4 oN latitude and 30 oE to 35 oE longitude. It is a landlocked country surrounded by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the east, Rwanda and Tanzania in the south, Sudan in the north, and Kenya in the west. Uganda has a tropical climate with two rainy and two dry seasons.
Out of total area of 236, 040 square kilometer area, the arable area is 25.34 %. It has fertile and well-watered land with many lakes and rivers flowing across the country. Uganda has a population of 25.6 million (July 2003 est.) with an annual growth rate of 2.96 %. Agriculture is most important economic sector providing employment to 80 % of the labor force and accounting for 43 % of GDP.
Importance of groundnut
Groundnut is the second most widely grown legume in Uganda after common beans. It is thought to have been introduced by early traders and travelers after its introduction into the coast of East Africa by Portuguese explorers ( Nalyongo and Emeetai-Areke1986). It has been grown since 1862 ( Busolo- Bulafu 1990). It is a very popular crop especially in the eastern and northern regions of the country, where it has become part of the people’s culture ( Mahmoud et al 1991). It is mostly consumed locally. The seeds are consumed as roasted peanuts. The flour is used in preparing different dishes. Groundnut cake, after extracting oil, is used as animal feed. Most of the crop is grown by small-scale farmers.
Production environment
Groundnut is grown mainly in the Eastern and Southern parts of the country. In the Eastern Uganda it is produced mainly on light, loose, and sandy loams but in the Southern Uganda it is also grown in clay loams. In the Southern region which has two rainy seasons, the crop is grown during both the rainy seasons, with most of the production during the first rainy season. The first rain crop is harvested during the dry spell of July and the second crop is harvested in November- December dry season. The first rainy season which lasts from March to June has more reliable rain than the second rainy season lasting from August to September. Most of the crop is grown as inter-crop with maize and cassava. It is grown mainly as rainfed crop. Although both bunchy and spreading types are grown, now there is a tendency to grow bunchy types because of early maturing habit and ease of cultivation ( Nalyongo and Emeetai-Areke1986). Some of the common varieties are Mani Pintar, Makulu Red, Bukene, Roxo etc.
Production constraints
The groundnut production in the country is constrained by various factors. As groundnut is grown mostly by small-scale farmers, the production is limited by low level of inputs. Production constraints include disease and pest incidence. The main diseases are rosette virus and early leaf spot. Groundnut rosette virus disease has been the most limiting factor of production ( Mahmoud et al 1991). Other diseases like bacterial wilt, rust, and stem rot are also diseases of importance. The major insect pests are aphids, thrips, grubs, and termites. Storage pests include Aspergillus, moths, flour beetles etc. Other constraints are unreliable rainfall with recurring drought and lack of high yielding varieties ( Busolo-Bulafu 1990).
Production trend
Groundnut production trend in terms of yield, acreage, and total production is shown in the following table and graph.
Groundnut (shell) production trend in Uganda
Year |
Harvested Area
(Ha) |
Yield
(Kg/Ha) |
Production
(Mt) |
1961 |
240,000 |
500 |
120,000 |
1962 |
240,000 |
533 |
128,000 |
1963 |
250,000 |
524 |
131,000 |
1964 |
250,000 |
512 |
128,000 |
1965 |
260,000 |
500 |
130,000 |
1966 |
280,000 |
536 |
150,000 |
1967 |
277,000 |
588 |
163,000 |
1968 |
251,000 |
701 |
176,000 |
1969 |
245,000 |
857 |
210,000 |
1970 |
250,000 |
976 |
244,000 |
1971 |
291,800 |
860 |
251,000 |
1972 |
291,000 |
804 |
233,900 |
1973 |
222,000 |
956 |
212,200 |
1974 |
267,500 |
747 |
199,700 |
1975 |
243,000 |
800 |
194,400 |
1976 |
213,331 |
829 |
176,900 |
1977 |
233,604 |
825 |
192,600 |
1978 |
234,000 |
800 |
187,200 |
1979 |
122,000 |
656 |
80,000 |
1980 |
95,000 |
737 |
70,000 |
1981 |
110,000 |
818 |
90,000 |
1982 |
120,000 |
750 |
90,000 |
1983 |
124,000 |
798 |
99,000 |
1984 |
148,000 |
689 |
102,000 |
1985 |
137,000 |
679 |
93,000 |
1986 |
177,000 |
667 |
118,000 |
1987 |
148,000 |
824 |
122,000 |
1988 |
179,000 |
749 |
134,000 |
1989 |
189,377 |
770 |
145,823 |
1990 |
186,000 |
850 |
158,000 |
1991 |
180,000 |
800 |
144,000 |
1992 |
184,000 |
799 |
147,000 |
1993 |
187,000 |
818 |
153,000 |
1994 |
189,000 |
751 |
142,000 |
1995 |
192,000 |
750 |
144,000 |
1996 |
195,000 |
641 |
125,000 |
1997 |
197,000 |
680 |
134,000 |
1998 |
200,000 |
700 |
140,000 |
1999 |
196,000 |
699 |
137,000 |
2000 |
199,000 |
699 |
139,000 |
2001 |
208,000 |
702 |
146,000 |
2002 |
211,000 |
701 |
148,000 |
2003 |
211,000 |
701 |
148,000 |
Source : FAO
References:
Busolo-Bulafu, CM
1990 Groundnut Improvement Program in Uganda. Fourth Regional Groundnut Workshop for Southern Africa, Arusha, Tanzania, 1990, pp. 55-59. ICRISAT.
Mahmoud , M.A., et al.
1991 Groundnut in Eastern Africa, 1981-1990. Groundnut - A Global Perspective, 1991, pp. 89-95. ICRISAT.
Nalyongo , P.W., and Emeetai-Areke
1987 Groundnut and Pigeonpea Production and Improvement in Uganda. Research on Grain legumes in Eastern and Central Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1987. ICRISAT.
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