Value added products dominate Dutch village
The value-added products that are being show-cased by the youth include soy yoghurt, milk, banana juice, coffee products and dried fruits.
An exhibitor showcasing her products. (Photos by Herbert Musoke and Richard Sanya)
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Value addition is one of the avenues through which farmers can extend the shelf life of their agriculture products while creating jobs for young people.
That is the message that young people coming to this year’s harvest money expo taking place at Kololo Independence Grounds are learning from.
The value-added products that are being show-cased by the youth include soy yoghurt, milk, banana juice, coffee products and dried fruits. These have been supplemented with master class trainings in tax management and business registration in addition to the need for standards, under the Dutch Village.
Match-making tent to connect suppliers to producers at the Harvest Money Expo
Access to quality agro inputs, which range from seed, chemicals, financing among others remains a challenge for many people venturing into farming as a business. This is because many people prefer working in isolation.
That is why at this year’s Harvest Money Expo, the Netherlands Embassy, through their partner, ASGMA have set up a special match-making tent to connect farmers to suppliers of all agro inputs, including machinery, markets, financing options and other business-related services.
According to an official from ASGMA, match making for companies under the Dutch village initiative aims at connecting companies to each other to staring a working relationship.
For example, if one is selling seed and there is a cooperative growing potatoes, these are connected. If one is importing seed and there is someone selling the same seed here, these are brought together to agree and plan for business and markets from other exhibitors.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands believes will make the Dutch village more beneficial to exhibitors coming to the Harvest Money Expo taking place at the Kololo Independence grounds, from February 27 to March 1.
An official from the embassy added that away from the expo, the matchmaking sessions continue. And since this year’s Harvest Money Expo is running under the theme Farming as a business, more farmers coming to the expo will learn and also close business deals this year.
The expo that kicked off on Friday and goes on till Sunday is organised by Vision Group with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, ENGSOL, Tunga Nutrition, aBi, Pearl Bank, and Uganda Development Corporation. Other sponsors are Heifer International, Roke Telecom, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries and Uganda Revenue Authority.
