Stakeholders in the shea nut value chain have observed a need to plant fast-maturing shea nut trees to replace those that have been destroyed.
Shea nut trees, which grow naturally in the eastern and northern parts of Uganda, take approximately 20-25 years to bear fruits that are used to produce shea butter, skin, and hair care products.
In 2006, the Ugandan government declared that the shea tree was endangered, and subsequently, the Ministry of Water and Environment, in line with the National Forestry and Tree Planting Act banned the cutting of the trees and transportation of its timber products, following its rapid destruction.
Despite the protections, shea trees are still cut down on a large scale and are now on the verge of extinction due to indiscriminate cutting for charcoal.
Florence Apoko, a member of Acholi Shea Cooperative Limited-ASCO, said the government should consider a restoration project in areas where shea nuts are endemic for sustainability.
A study conducted by Makerere University in 2011 showed that there were 20 shea trees per hectare of uncultivated land, but by 2017, the number of trees had dropped to between 10-15.
Grace Freedom Kwiyocwiny, the State Minister for Northern Uganda acknowledges that despite the available laws that protect the shea nut trees, they are not being implemented.
Kwiyocwiny has now asked the technical government staff such as the District Commercial Officers, Forest Officers, and officers in charge of natural resources to help the women identify the shea nut value chain so that they are supported.
She also expressed disappointment that despite the available laws meant to protect the shea but trees and other protected species, the perpetrators of their destruction are not being punished.
Research conducted by the French research institute, CIRAD from 1998 to 2003 shows that the shea variety (vitellaria nilotica) which is found only in Uganda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, has a higher quality compared to the variety in West Africa.
The same study observed that the variety in Uganda is genetically unique because its butter is richer in compositions of therapeutic substances, and is softer and more fragrant, making it fetch five times more money than the variety in West Africa known as the vitellaria paradoxa.
Kwiyocwiny notes that the uniqueness of the shea tree we have should be a motivation to protect it and advises the population to instead plant fast-maturing trees for frewood and charcoal business and conserve the shea trees.
Robert Abak, the National Coordinator of Shea Consortium Uganda, says the failure to implement the laws by the responsible authorities was partly to blame for the massive cutting of shea nut trees.
Abak urged the district natural resources committee and lower local government resources committee set to conserve natural resources in general, including the shea nut trees, to start working harder to protect endangered tree species.
One of the factors affecting shea tree conservation is land fragmentation along the shea belt. Individuals who have shea nut trees on the plots of land insist that it is their property, and no one should tell them how to manage it.
Abak says the cultural leaders should intervene in such cases, to sensitize the population that they should conserve the trees even if it is on their land.
Abak says that the Shea Consortium has already contacted National Forestry Authority to allow them open demonstration farms in forest reserves and they have already planted at least 40 hectares of shea trees in Oliyo Oduru Forest reserve in Olilim, Otuke district.
In 2021, the global shea butter market was valued at 2.07 billion US Dollars and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.8 per cent from 2022-2030. The increase in demand is attributed to the fact that shea butter is regarded as a healthier alternative with various dietary and cosmetic applications.
A 2022 report by the Uganda Investment Authority indicates that the world demands more than 350,000 tons of shea, yet Uganda produces only three tons per year.
Uganda has the market for its shea butter in countries such as Kenya, France, Rwanda, Germany the Middle East, and Japan. For this reason, the Uganda Export Promotions Board, in 2019 set a target of 500,000 tons of shea butter annually from 2022.
Abak now appeals to the locals neighboring the shea parklands to get more information from experts on how to plant shea nuts, so that they sustain the demand for Uganda’s she nuts in the world market.
Eric Ocan, an engineer and the regional manager in charge of Water for Production in the Ministry of Water and Environment, says the ministry will support those who want to plant shea nut trees, by setting up water sources close to their gardens.
Ocan, however, notes that although the ministry provides the water for free, those interested should be committed and willing to offer land for the installation of the water equipment.
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