Abstract:
Agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors in Uganda, with significant
contributions to employment, food security, foreign exchange earnings and production of
industrial raw materials. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, in 2015/16,
agriculture generated 23.6% of the country's GDP and employed over 68% of its population.
Cotton is one of the traditional cash crops grown in Uganda, used both as an export good and
as a raw material for the domestic textile and edible oil industries. The Cotton Development
Organization (CDO) estimates that the cotton value chain employs a total of 2.5 million
people, directly and indirectly, in the production and marketing of its primary products, such
as textiles and garments, as well as its by-products, such as soap, edible oil and animal feed.