Uganda exports its first processed pineapples to China

LUWERO - Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze has flagged off Uganda's inaugural export of 104 metric tonnes of canned (processed) pineapples to China by Deshiburg Company.

The company is in the Uganda-China Agriculture Cooperation Industrial Park in Luwero district.

Tumwebaze said in a post on X on May 14, 2026, that it is the first company to set up a dedicated canned pineapple factory in Uganda with capacity to process 500 tonnes per day.

“This increases the demand for pineapples as a raw material and ends the perennial challenge of lack of market for our perishable agricultural produce. It places a challenge to our farmers to produce more for this demand,” he said.

He also said he has urged the local political leaders and agriculture extension personnel, to mobilise and guide their farmers to start intentional farming targeting to meet existing demand of a particular agro-raw material sustainably.

“This huge proliferation of agro-industries speaks to farmers only one message: Produce, produce and produce more. The excuse of no markets for agricultural produce is no more with this revolution of agro-industrialisation,” he said.

“Produce for own food, produce for the market (domestic, regional and international), and please do so following the acceptable standards, was my message to the farmers,” he added.

Finance minister Matia Kasaija said on March 13 this year that Uganda was positioning itself to fully leverage China’s zero-tariff policy and access to global markets by shifting away from the export of raw materials towards processing, manufacturing, and higher-value exports.

He said Uganda’s next phase of growth will be anchored on ATMS – particularly agro-industrialisation, export expansion, and value addition in key sectors such as coffee, cotton, tea, and other agricultural products, as well as minerals including oil and gas, tourism, science, technology and innovation.

This was during a meeting between the Ugandan government and China EXIM Bank that agreed to scale up support for industrial parks, with a focus on improving land access, utilities, and logistics infrastructure to enhance productivity and attract large-scale investments.

Kasaija represented the Ugandan government, while the China EXIM Bank was represented by its vice president, Dr. Yang Dongning.

The Ugandan government aims to have 22 industrial parks across the country to facilitate industrial growth and output.