Shanghai clears Uganda's first dried chili shipment to China

A batch of dried chili peppers from Uganda Police has passed customs inspection in Shanghai. 

The consignment of 11 tonnes is the first export of Ugandan dried chili peppers to China.
The shipment of dried chili peppers entered China via sea transport through the Waigaoqiao port area in Shanghai, the municipal customs authorities said on Monday. 

China news agency Xinhua, reports that the customs officials collected samples for inspection and confirmed that the agricultural products were free from pests, mould and impurities.

Shanghai Customs records indicate that, in 2025, the value of agricultural products imported through Shanghai ports from Africa reached 10.03 billion yuan (about 1.43 billion U.S. dollars), marking a 25.3 percent increase compared to 2024.

President Yoweri Museveni last November flagged off the consignment one year after the two countries signed a bilateral agreement allowing the agricultural product to access the Chinese market.

The flag-off ceremony took place on November 22nd in Kamuli district, where some local communities have been growing the crop in collaboration with the China-Uganda Agricultural Cooperation Industrial Park.

The project also gets support from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)-China-Uganda South-South Cooperation (SSC) project.

Farmers harvest chili peppers at a cooperative planting and training spot in Kamuli. (Xinhua photo)

The Busoga Consortium for Development, working with Chinese agro-industrial partners, has mobilised thousands of farmers across the region to cultivate chili and other high-value crops for export.

During the event at  Bunambo warehouse in Namasagali Sub-county, Museveni, who hailed China for consistently working with Africa for common development, also urged more farmers to grow chili, which he described as a goldmine that can create wealth and fight poverty.

"They (China) supported us during the anti-colonial struggles. Now we are trading very closely with them and on an equal basis. They are not arrogant. So we are going to go far," Museveni said.

Dignitaries at the event included First Lady Mrs Janet Museveni, several ministers, and  
Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong.

Zhang described the inaugural chili export as a product of strong diplomatic and economic ties between the two nations. He highlighted the 2024 chili export protocol signed during the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit in Beijing as a key enabler of this success.

President Yoerri Museveni accompanied by First Lady Janet Museveni flags off Uganda's first batch of chili containers to the Chinese market during a function held at Namasagali on Thursday. PPU Photo

He hailed Uganda’s efforts under the Belt and Road Initiative and noted that China had expanded zero-tariff access for all products from 53 African countries, including Uganda.

According to the Ambassador, China–Uganda trade continues to grow rapidly. By August 2025, bilateral trade had reached USD 1.3 billion, a 41% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.

Of this, Uganda’s exports to China amounted to approximately USD 100 million—double the previous year’s figure.

He also highlighted successful exports already underway, including fish maw and wild aquatic products, and commended the collaboration between the Busoga Consortium for Development and the China–Uganda Agricultural Cooperation Industrial Park, commonly known as Kehong.

Relatedly, Zhang Xiaoqiang, the team leader of the Chinese agricultural experts under Phase III of the project, explained that participating farmers receive high-quality chili seeds and cultivation techniques. 

Farmers carry out the cultivation, follow our guidance and production standards dedicated to export to the Chinese market.

During the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit in September 2024, Uganda and China signed protocols for the export of dried chili peppers and wild aquatic products to China. 

In June, China also announced zero-tariff treatment to 100 percent of tariff lines for all 53 African countries that have diplomatic ties with China.

As of last August, the total trade volume between China and Uganda reached a record 1.31 billion U.S. dollars.