Grain processors asked to reject grade 3 maize

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Grain buyers have been urged to stop offering low prices for poor-quality maize, as this encourages the trade of substandard grain, distorts the market, and compromises consumer health.

The call was made by Humphrey Mutaasa, chief technical officer at the Grain Council of Uganda and Consultant with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation.

“If there is no market, there will not be supply, but if some processors continue offering lower prices for this bad maize, the industry will not realise its objective of promoting the sale of quality grains,” Mutaasa said.

He issued the warning on August 6, 2025, during the Certified Grain Buyer/Supplier Symposium, organised by the Grain Council of Uganda in partnership with the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank, at Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Kampala.

Grade 3 maize, according to the East African Exchange, is characterised by a maximum of 7% insect damage, 7% rotten, diseased or discoloured grains, and 3% foreign matter. This grade also allows up to 5% immature or shrivelled grains and 10% broken grains.

The symposium aimed to connect certified grain buyers with suppliers of certified maize to boost trade in quality grains while protecting consumers.

At the same event, Patricia Ejalu, deputy executive director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), noted that one of the major challenges in grain trade is that traders continue to purchase roadside maize and package it for export, leading to frequent rejections of Uganda’s grain.

She added that UNBS and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, through their crop inspection and certification departments, would soon issue joint clearance permits to those intending to export grains.

“UNBS will issue the quality mark and the ministry will issue the SPS (Sanitary and phytosanitary standards) permit, and that is when grains will be cleared for export,” Ejalu explained.

She said the goal is to ensure that only certified grains are exported, and that those supplying grain must meet the required standards to sell to certified buyers.

Currently, Uganda produces approximately 5.7 million metric tonnes of grain annually, with maize accounting for nearly 3 million metric tonnes.