After a five - week complete lockdown , Uganda is step by step open up , enabling several troupe to pick up line of work again . For cutting farm Wagagai , the timing of swipe the lockdown is a blessing in disguise , as it is just in prison term for their officious Christmas star cutting season . " Over the last weeks , the female parent plant only had to maturate , and at the end of May , start out of June , we start harvesting the cuttings " , explains Dutch owner Olav Boenders . In this clause , he secernate us more about how they dealt with the lockdown and how he hop-skip that this situation will lift awareness for the workers in Africa .
People sleeping in the greenhouse at night . ( All photos by Andrew Kartende )
The lockdown in UgandaOn April 1 , the people in Uganda were inform about the complete lockdown , which mean a curfew and no pedestrian movement . " Our 36 hour angle greenhouse employs 2,300 people 98 % of whom hold out within a radius of 5 km and take the air to the farm every day . Not having workers at our farm was not an option as industrial plant simply always take attending and care . Therefore , we make up one’s mind to let 500 actor remain over at the farm , supply them will all necessities and take temperature checks twice a day , and made sure we obeyed all principle regarding sanitization and societal distancing . " And the worker even seem to have enjoyed it . " We essay to see it all as a great sleepover party . The worker did not have to spend anything as they all get meal thrice a day and they kept have their salaries , in contrast to many of their fellow citizens who were at home on volunteer parting . " And what about the I at dwelling from Wagagai ? " We made sure everyone find their salary . commonly , in April and May we ask the majority to take vacation as we necessitate them in May and June , when it is high-pitched season , so in the end it all just ended up quite well , so far . "
The grandness of Africa for EuropeAccording to Boenders , the COVID-19 berth more then ever displays how all link in the range are connected . " Many people in Europe hopefully are realise more , that Africa play an crucial role in append all form of good . Due to the lack of freight capacity in Kenya and Ethiopia for example , only a broken part of cargo , including vegetable or pink wine , can be transported to Europe . This is their principal market and as they can not carry out their activities , it is leaving a lot of people without a job . And this will , and is already , disastrously affecting the state and Africa as a whole . With one mortal mislay their occupation , five people are indirectly affect , like payment of the rent of the flat , hairdresser and so on . In some countries , and particularly the big cities , no job can even mean no food . Fortunately , in Uganda , the soil is very fertile , so in the Village nutrient will not be a problem . " Meanwhile in the main city Kampala this is of course already having very vainglorious damaging force . Boenders is extremely impressed with how President Museveni and his government is dealing so far with the crisis . " They might have locked down the country , but they keep a corridor of swop for incoming and outgoing goods clear . This is dead essential for the saving , not to break down , and also for us as a job . "
Special sleeping places were make in the greenhouse .
But also at Wagawai they have to think the consequence of COVID-19 . " We might have been ' lucky ' regarding the timing of the lockdown and the fact that our consignment flights continued three time a week , we still might notice the effects of the COVID-19 crisis afterwards as we do not have it off what the encroachment will be on the European raiser . If many will go out of occupation , we will definitely finger it as our cuttings will have no destination . Meanwhile it is great to see that the Dutch government stepped in with a support software package to horticulture of € 650 million , that hopefully indirectly will help all of us as well " .
Education on the COVID-19 rule
Fair wagesIn stock with this , Boenders emphasize the grandness of the earnings of the workers , which is something he always hear to keep at a decent stage . " Compared to the westerly cosmos , the salaries are n’t high , but compare to the salaries of the workers of all other agricultural company in the land , we are in the top 3 regarding the highest salaries . " He would enjoy to offer his workers a high income , but due to the high competition , it is not possible . " And as we are already one of the companies with the high wages in this sector , we ’d better give the multitude something rather than nothing , as we are dealing with a high-pitched spirit level of competition . Just opine , if I could sell my cuttings for 1 penny more , I could treble the salaries of the workers . Meanwhile if I would do this , it would mean that the price of some cuttings would replicate , making our product not interesting anymore . We ’d then go out of business concern , with accordingly 2,300 citizenry losing their jobs . "
Praying in the cold storage , which was turned off this eveningCreating more sentience for FairtradeSo , for mother extra income for his workers , Boenders started a pilot , call theWagagai Cents undertaking , in 2017 , in cooperation with German breeder Selecta One and Fairtrade for their Mexican flameleaf . " With this pilot , we desire to show how we can achieve substantial fiscal improvements for our stave through innovative advance . " Wagagai sell all poinsettia cuttings to Selecta One , and they have a big interest in poinsettias as around 50 % of all poinsettias grow in Europe are supplied by Selecta One . However , the need for Fairtrade poinsettias is , according to Boenders , still broken . " It would be nifty as a start if the great unwashed would now start to ask for Fairtrade poinsettias . In Africa , a social rubber net , like people have in Europe , is non - actual , so this is the very least the consumer and company in the chain can do to directly help oneself the worker in Africa . If the industriousness starts to budge towards more Fairtrade products , we can grow in volumes and create more awareness and in play pay a better wage to the workers . Hopefully , we can get something positivistic out of the COVID-19 crisis . "
One of the farm workers oblige a painted leaf
For more information : WagagaiOlav BoendersEmail:[email protected]www.wagagai.com
© FloralDaily.com/Elita Vellekoop
