WHILE FOLLOWING President Museveni’s various economic tours in rural Uganda over the years, I have often asked myself why I don’t have a four-acre model project to showcase. 

More importantly, my bank managers and creditors have not asked me this question either. I don’t need to go into the details of the four acres and what they can possibly hold – that’s been told to us for decades now.

In fact, I was first advised about this back in 1988 as a high school student studying agriculture for one and a half hours a week. Not only that – my grandparents knew it well enough to take our parents through school using the same basic principles.

Am I foolish? 

Well, my education tells me that, I am not ripe for a career move where my current earnings will be sustainably replaced by the adoption of that four-acre model fwaaaaa – no.

Over the last few weeks I have been receiving sacks of avocados from my little foray into this crop while sticking to my day job at a computer. My agricultural enterprise is non-commercial at this point for various reasons associated with my deep-set ignorance due to my formal education.

(Yes – I took those photos myself, at home – Lugala – a few Sundays ago).

This is a good challenge… if I make it make sense, which should be easy because the rest of the world is trying to make it make sense for us in spite of our ignorance.

I stress ignorance because, like most of my peers, I have failed to Be Serious about what matters to us here on this continent and to our great grandchildren.

As usual, this week we have discussed the Israel-Iran and Russia-Ukraine Wars,  Donald J. Trump and his public showing, and then a few NRM-NUP items. Our focus lies there.

China opening up to Africa?

Not even on the back pages.

For those who missed it; just a week ago, China stepped up and asked for my avocados and anything else I can produce.

At a land mark meeting between China and the whole of Africa, the Chinese President himself – Xi Jinping – announced that he and his people would soon be accepting goods from Africa into China tariff-free.

Not only that – the Chinese will also work with us to build our production capacity and our ability to package and manufacture quality products so that it is easier for us to export to them.

“Xièxie, China!” 

Yes – we are going to learn more mandarin and cantonese and be happy about it.

Geopolitically we should understand that this is not a simplistically altruistic offer by our brothers and sisters from across the Indian Ocean and beyond.

We have had a similar deal with the United States for 25 years – the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) that was put on hold recently. It is now up for discussion by the US Government after higher priority issues are dealt with.

Personally, I exported nothing under AGOA, but I know people who did. At peak, Africa exported US$60billion worth of goods annually to the United States under AGOA. Good, eh?

Yes – when compared to the couple of billion dollars’ worth before the programme started.

The internet says, however, that without AGOA or anything similar Africa has been exporting between US$105billion and US$116billion worth of goods to China! 

Do you want to imagine what will happen when the Chinese equivalent of AGOA kicks off? Or are we foolish?

As usual, public commentary is obviously going to go the usual way, talking about how the Chinese might be taking advantage of us and blah blah blah. 

The most intelligent amongst us, with those university degrees and whatnot, are going to preach while slamming their hands onto Economics text books, warning against things they have not said before about the West.

Meanwhile, my sacks of avocados will be piling up and the four acres will continue to NOT feature amongst the most lucrative in evidence.

It is as truly ridiculous as it is ridiculously true. 

And now, over the next few months as political activity heats up, we are going to hear so-called “leaders” denigrating the drive to ramp up agricultural production instead of linking it to China’s upcoming policy.

It should make us ask ourselves: Aren’t we being foolish about international trade?