Experts cite communication gaps for EU rejection of Ugandan horticulture

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Weak communication of phytosanitary and sanitary requirements is being blamed for the continued rejection of Uganda’s horticulture exports in international markets, particularly Europe.

Experts say that training farmers who grow fruits and vegetables in proper farming practices that ensure compliance with European Union market standards would significantly increase export volumes and open up new market opportunities.

Such practices include observing the correct pre-harvest intervals after spraying vegetables, maintaining acceptable moisture content levels, and using proper packaging materials and containers. Stakeholders say these requirements must be communicated in simple and clear language to farmers.

However, it was noted that many farmers are unable to fully understand the technical information coming from the EU market requirements. This is partly because chief executive officers and owners of fresh fruit and vegetable export companies either withhold the information or share it with only a few farmers. In some cases, exporters lack the capacity to translate technical standards into farmer-friendly guidance.

As a result, Ugandan horticultural exports continue to face interceptions due to pesticide residues, the presence of moths, and poor packaging. When this happens, exporters incur losses from destroyed consignments, leading to significant revenue loss for both companies and the country.

The concerns were raised by Michael Owino, an exporter of fresh fruits and vegetables to the EU market, during a stakeholders’ consultative forum on enhancing communication for fresh produce exports under the EU-Uganda SPS Project held at Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala on June 2, 2026.

The meeting was organised by the Centre for Agricultural Biosciences International (CABI), with support from the European Union and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, among others.

The engagement, which continues with a dedicated media session today, Thursday (June 4), aims to assess national communication systems, identify gaps, and develop innovative strategies to ensure timely dissemination of information to farmers.

“Through my experience, why exports fail to meet the standards in Europe is communication. Communication is one of the things that is failing because exporters don't find sufficient time to study the technicalities of the information provided,” Owino said.

He added that some company owners are unwilling to attend training sessions on safety and quality standards in horticultural exports.

“They send agronomists to attend the training whose rate of moving from one company to another is high. This leaves the CEO, who is the business owner, without information to share, or when they have the information, how can they pass it on to the small holder farmer who is the primary producer,” Owino explained further.

Caroline Nakinga, the project manager of the SPS programme, said the meeting was convened to discuss how sanitary and phytosanitary standards information can be effectively disseminated within the fruit and vegetable sector.

“Because in the European Union and other international markets we have always been intercepted. That means that our produce that we export falls short of the required standards. So, it's rejected on the other side, and exporters lose money,” she said.

Nakinga added that EU standards are stringent and must be strictly followed by farmers and exporters.

“So we have to communicate the right information. Correct regulations and show farmers and exporters adhere and also comply with the standards,” she explained further.

Emphasising the importance of communication in horticultural exports, Dr Bill Okaka, a development communications manager at CABI, said poor communication of sanitary and phytosanitary processes in Uganda can create false alarms that damage the image of exports from the country.

He said a structured communication approach is necessary, including clear identification of platforms used, target audiences, messaging content, and how information is packaged for end users.

“So that at the end of this audit, we are able to find out the gaps. And if there are gaps in what they are communicating, both in content and diversity, we can work together to fix those gaps. So, this is why we are discussing it with them,” Okaka explained.