The tea Industry in Uganda

1.         BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON TEA IN UGANDA:

For a long time,Uganda has been known to be favourable for Tea growing.  The tea plant was introduced in the country by 1900 and by mid 1950’s, Tea had become Uganda’s’ Estate crop, owned by mainly Asians and Europeans, with a very Small number of African Growers.  At the time of Uganda’s independence in 1962, the country was still a long way from realizing the full potential in the development of its Tea industry.

Tea being an important export product, the Government of Uganda looked at it as one key area through which the countries export earnings could be boosted, and people’s social-economic conditions improved.

The Government therefore commissioned the Commonwealth Development Corporation (C.D.C) for a study of Uganda’s Tea industry.  The C.D.C report, The Uganda Tea Survey of 1969, recommended that Small-Scale Tea Farmers be assisted to play a more important role in the development of the Tea industry.  As a result, the Uganda Tea Growers Corporation (U.T.G.C) was put in place by an act of Parliament no. 3 of 1966, later amended in 1967. Read more →