UNBS, maize millers lock horns over grains standards

KAMPALA - Ugandan grain millers have rejected the directive by the Uganda Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to take full responsibility for ensuring standards of grain and grain products, especially where issues arise from the farm through post-harvest handling.

The millers instead want Uganda Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and related government agencies, especially to Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries to enforce standards on farmers and track operations in the entire value chain.

These argue that they do not have the capacity and authority to enforce the standards on farmers, who in most cases use rudimentary means of drying and storing grains.

“You cannot ask us to start monitoring operations of farmers in the numerous villages across the country, this is the job of the ministry and UNBS, as millers we buy what the market offers, so please step up,” Godfrey Sempijja of Mazima Millers emphasized.

This comes as UNBS starts to implement the government directive that all grain supplies to government and Schools be done by certified companies, effective August 2024 and January 2025 respectively.

Despite the efforts by the government in recent years to ensure that grain exports meet national and export market standards, shortcomings still persist, according to UNBS.

Awath Aburu, a Standards Officer at UNBS, said the first mandate of UNBS is to ensure that what is on the local market and that destined for the export markets meet the standards without any compromise.

“Emphasis the importance of self-regulation, he pointed to storage of the raw materials and the finished products, to protect them from contamination and moisture absorption, among others. Markets like Kenya have previously suffered health problems arising from aflatoxins, the reason why the country is very strict on products from Uganda,” Aburu said.

Awath also noted the persistent violation of labelling standards by grain millers.

He said each company is supposed to have unique brand names, with the product package properly labelled, including bearing manufacturing and expiry dates, contents and moisture levels.

Richard Serwadda, the Chairperson Rubaga Grain Millers Association commended UNBS for the improved relationship with the private sector unlike before when the two operated like enemies on opposite sides.

However, he highlighted that it is unfair to leave the issues of farmers and standards to the processors, urging the government agencies to do what the Uganda Coffee Development Authority has done to regulate coffee standards.

He wondered how Kenya had been able to control the movement of high moisture content grain to mills and authorities in Uganda failed.