By Nicholas Kajoba

A $4m (sh7b) anti-malaria drug factory has opened in Kabale.
AFro Alpine Pharma has started manufacturing Antimicilin Combination Therapy, which is used to make Coartem, an anti-malaria drug.

The managing director, Ashok Chauhan, said the factory had started by producing 40kg of Artemisinin daily.

“We have just started and hope throughout the month, our production capacity will increase rapidly because of the high demand and market,” Chauhan said.

He said during peak days, 15 tonnes of leaves are processed and more than 400 tonnes are expected to be processed monthly.

Over 5,000 farmers have made an agreement with the firm to grow the Artemisia plant.

The farmers get free seedlings and sell the leaves to the factory at sh1,000 a kilogramme. The plant takes between three and five months to mature. The plant is also grown in Mbarara, Ibanda, Ntungamu and Kabale.

The company chairman, Charles Mbire, said more funds would be injected into the factory to ensure that the production capacity increases rapidly.

“We have a ready market for our farmers. The prices are fixed to enable them get involved in the project,” he said.

One hundred thousand Ugandans die annually from malaria.
“My target is to see that more Ugandans get anti malaria drugs at cheaper prices and even offer employment,” Mbire said.

He said the farmers earn between sh500,000 and sh1m per harvest.