INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCTION

OF PERENNIAL AND PLANTATION

CROPS

BY
MARY NANYANZI
 Definitions
Perennial crops
 Are crops which complete their life cycle in more than

two planting seasons.

 Compared with annual crops, most perennial
crops have extensive root systems, making soil
particles difficult to dislodge and thereby limiting soil
erosion.
 Erosion is further reduced by the limited amount of

tilling needed to maintain the crop.

 Perennial crops therefore maintain the soil cover, soil

structure and biota thus enhanced soil health

 Definitions
Plantation Crops
 Are commercial crops of perennial nature which are

cultivated on an extensive scale in a vast area in

tropical and subtropical situations and are owned and
managed by an Individual or a company
 Plantation or estate is not less than 5ha or 500 acres

and needs employment of labour through out the

year
 The crops include tea, coffee, rubber, cocoa, coconut,
oil palm, cashew, etc.
Plantation Agriculture in Uganda
 Plantation agriculture started in the colonial and the
industrial revolution (1700s, 1800s and 1900s) when
the Europeans required raw materials for their
factories.

 In this era colonialists started plantations in the large

scale in their colonies in areas served by railways or
navigable rivers and lakes.
 In the 19th Century Colonialists introduced cash crops
in Uganda and these included Cotton, Coffee, Sugar
cane and tea plantations.
Plantation Agriculture in Uganda
 Individual Africans were likewise encouraged to
produce these crops and sell them to the plantation
owners most of whom were Asians and Europeans.

 In Uganda, up to 1960s cotton was the leading export

of Uganda before it was taken over by coffee
production.

 To Date, among the perennial and plantation crops

Coffee remains Uganda’s leading foreign exchange
earner followed by tea, flowers, cocoa and fruits
 Plantation agriculture in uganda
Examples of plantations in Uganda include:
 Kasaku tea estate in Buikwe

 Lugazi sugarcane plantation in Buikwe

 Kinyara sugarcane plantation in Masindi

 Finlay’s tea estate in Bushenyi

 Rwenzori Commodities Ltd with tea estate in Kabarole

 Kaweeri coffee plantation in Mubende.

 Kakira sugarcane plantation in Jinja

Characteristics of plantation crops
 Grown on a vast area in thinly populated areas mainly
in tropical and subtropical areas
 Perennial and is usually mono-specific in nature
 High-value crops of greater economic importance and
export potential hence Known commercial or cash
crops
 Must be processed before use.
 There is use of modern and scientifically methods of
farming like application of fertilizers & tractors.
 Both labour intensive and capital intensive.
 Characteristics of plantation crops
 Plantations are self sustaining in that they have their
own infrastructures like roads, schools, hospitals etc.
Workers can also be provided with small areas for
cultivation of vegetables
 Intensive research regarding improvement of crop
varieties and markets is always conducted.
 Utilize cheap labour
 Sole purpose is high yield, quality mainly for export
 In early days technical and managerial staff used to be
from European countries but now nationals are
employed
 Categories of Perennial & Plantation
Crops
 Oil Yielding Crops: Coconut, Oil palm
 Beverage Crops: Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, Sugarcane
 Industrial Crop: Rubber
 Fruit crops: Mangoes, Bananas, Apples, Grapes,
Pears, Straw berries, Avocadoes, pineapples
 Ornamental crops: Hibiscus, Roses
 Nut crops : Cashew nut
 Masticatory: Arecanut
Factors that favor plantation Agriculture

 Abundant land
 Availability of labour
 Presence of enough capital
 Availability of transport
 Availability of markets
 Presence of technical personel
 Importance
Export earnings
 Uganda’s exports especially coffee and horticulture

products. Uganda exports sugar, banana to south

Sudan, flowers to Europe earn foreign exchange which
has helped to set up important infrastructure like
roads. The value of tea exports in 2021 was $85 million
and that of coffee was $719 million in 2021 (UCDA,
2021)
Source of government revenue
 This is through taxing people employed on plantations

and agro industries dealing in plantation crops

 Importance
Industrial importance
 Provide by-products used in many rural industries. For

example, cocoa husks are used to make cocoa pit,

sugarcane by products are used to make ethanol and
animal feeds using molasses e.tc
Employment opportunities
 Provision of direct and indirect employment to many
people eg casual labourers and professionals in
agronomy or production, processing and marketing of
the final product. Others include input supply &
consultancy
 Importance
Conservation of the ecosystem
 Tea and sugarcane planted in hill slopes protects the

land from soil erosion. The leaves that fall from

deciduous trees like mangoes improves soil health.
International relations
 Plantation agriculture has promotes international
relationship between Uganda and countries where
agricultural products are exported
 Importance
Aesthetic value
 These crops also have an Aesthetic value since

contribute to the beauty of the environment hence

contributing to the tourism industry in some places.
Infrastructure development
 Plantation farming has led to development of
important infrastructure like schools, health units
and roads hence urbanization
Thank you for listening!!!!