New cocoa fermenting box boosts farmers' incomes ^{CEFR B2}

A locally produced single cocoa fermenting box in Kasawo, north of Kampala, is improving bean quality and farmer incomes. The innovation replaces a labour-intensive system of four stacked wooden boxes and allows farmers to sell fermented beans directly to exporters. Abubaker Kisekka, chair of the 650-member Namuganga Agalyawamu Cocoa Growers Association, reports that farmers now receive 35,000 Ugandan Shillings per unit, up from about 25,000 — a 40 per cent increase that reduces reliance on middlemen.

The box has a 150kg capacity. Tests show traditional four-stacked boxes achieved less than 70 per cent fermentation over eight days, while the single box reaches about 90 per cent fermentation in five days and produces a brown bean with a chocolate aroma. Researchers note that microbial activity during fermentation develops flavour and reduces bitterness; juicy residues can be used to make wine and used cocoa pods can be converted into charcoal.

Lead researcher Archileo Kaaya (Makerere University) and food science officer Joseph Mulindwa (National Coffee Research Institute) describe the design as gender-sensitive and easier for people with disabilities. Mulindwa says about 200 people nationwide have bought the box and reported higher incomes. The wooden design lasts about five years; researchers are exploring a steel version with a longer lifespan and plan further studies to optimise the design. Commercial production began last year and the team is working to scale distribution across major cocoa-producing districts with local authorities.

The project received US$85,000 in 2023 from the African Centre for Technology Studies through the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology under the Science Granting Councils Initiative. New boxes cost between 900,000 and 1,000,000 Ugandan Shillings (US$250–US$277), compared with 1.5–2 million Ugandan Shillings (US$417–US$556) for traditional boxes. Government data show cocoa export earnings rose by 164 per cent to US$68.7 million in February 2025, and officials say the fermenting box helps close post-harvest research gaps and improve international competitiveness.