EXPLORING MORE OF THE ‘PEARL OF AFRICA‘
(Posted 21st January 2017)
Part Three of Nine
Cradle of the Nile: Once Uganda’s food basket
Did you know that Busoga was once Uganda’s food basket? Obviously, with the ongoing drought and seemingly food scarcity in the country, it might be difficult for anyone to remember that Busoga was where the food that fed most of Ugandans used to come from. Coffee growing was very predominant in all the districts of Busoga and was a major cash earner for the Basoga, but due to the invasion of Coffee wilt, the farms dwindled.
Although, it has lost that glory, Busoga is the biggest producer of Sugar cane, sustaining several of Uganda’s largest sugar factories. Today there is a sugar factory in almost every district of Busoga and these are: Kakira Sugar Works in Jinja, Kamuli Sugar in Kamuli, Mayuge Sugar in Mayuge and Kaliro Sugar in Kaliro and many more are said in the offing.
Busoga is also the biggest producer of rice, with Kibimba Rice Scheme being the biggest rice plantation in the country located in Bugiri District.
Uganda, a republic straddling the equator, has in more ancient times been ruled by both Kings and Paramount Chiefs, institutions restored by the government of President Yoweri Museveni in 1993/94 as cultural institutions after all traditional ruling structures were abolished by Milton Obote, twice dictator and twice overthrown by military coups.
The Busoga Kingdom is located in the East of Uganda, across the River Nile, which commences its long journey to the Mediterranean Sea in Jinja, known as both the Source of the Nile and the Adventure Capital of East Africa.
The Busoga Tourism Initiative has now released an initial nine short chapters on the history, culture and of course tourism attractions found in the kingdom and
with their explicit permission will all nine chapters be reproduced here in coming days.
The timing is befitting as between the 17th and 19th of February will the Uganda Tourism Board host the annual Pearl of Africa Travel Expo in Kampala and the attractions of the upper Nile valley and further into the Kingdom will be showcased there to nearly 100 hosted buyers and international travel media representatives and travel trade professionals from the entire East African region.
