Vision Group’s 2023 Harvest Money Expo was on Wednesday officially launched at Riela Uganda facility at Kiwanga Bukerere in Mukono district.

The expo will run from February 10th to 13th at Kololo Independence Grounds.

The three-day event, organised by the Vision Group, is sponsored by the Netherlands Embassy, Champrisa International, Engineering Solutions Ltd (ENGSOL), Uganda warehouse receipting system, National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Pepsi and UpFront-Riella.

L-R: Med Mwiri, Sales and Marketing Manager ENGSOL, Don Wanyama, Vision Group CEO, Frank Buizer, Agricultural councillor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Samuel Mugasi, NAADS ED chat during the launch. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

Expo goers will be required to pay sh10,000 for entrance and another sh10,000 for the daily training sessions that will be starting at 8:00 am and ending at 7:00 pm at the same venue.

The sessions will be conducted by experts in different fields and enterprises on agriculture.

The 7th edition of Harvest Money expo 2023 is anchored on the theme "Farming as a Business – Post-harvest Handling and Value Addition". About 25,000 to 45,000 guests are expected at the expo.

“The mission of Vision Group is to channel out content that advances society, especially which has to do with the agricultural sector in which most Ugandans are involved,” Don Wanyama, the Chief Executive Officer at Vision Group, said at the launch of the expo.

Addressing stakeholders, including officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries gathered at Riela Uganda facility, Wanyama noted that a lot of revenue is got from agriculture-related activities, the reason Vision Group cannot turn a blind eye to issues of agriculture that concern majority of Ugandans.

“We have dedicated resources and space across all our platforms to mainstream the conversation around agriculture.

Don Wanyama, Vision Group CEO speaks during the launch of the 7th Harvest Money Expo at Riela Uganda in Kiwango, Bukerere. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

“We keep Ugandans informed of the key developments in the sector, but, most importantly, advise them on how to make money out of agriculture,” he said.

Before the launch of the expo, guests toured Riela Uganda facility, guided by William Owora, the managing director.

Owora said his firm has hi-tech agriculture equipment which include silo systems, conveyor technology, grain hullers, cleaners and driers, plus mixers for animal and poultry feed systems. Most of the equipment assembled at the facility are imported from Germany.

William Owora speaks during the launch of the 7th Harvest Money Expo at Riela Uganda in Kiwanga, Bukerere. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

He said the German partners have since given his firm licence to replicate some of the appliances.

Wanyama said it is Vision Group’s duty to drum up Riela Uganda’s message and get the key policy stakeholders to make knowledge transfer possible. He also thanked Riela Uganda for partnering with URI and Kyambogo University to develop the schemes.

“When we make this equipment, it becomes more affordable and the cost of production reduces,” he observed.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING EXPO

Wanyama said at the expo, Vision Group will be offering policy-makers the opportunity to engage with other stakeholders involved in the agriculture sector.

“For people in the agriculture world, there will be lots of opportunities on financing. So, come and learn which kind of credit facilities you can get to finance your firm, get machinery and add value to your product,” he said.

In a brief about the training programmes, Wanyama said agriculture experts will conduct sessions on coffee value addition, passion fruits, poultry, piggery, fish farming, banana growing, goat keeping, urban fish farming, beekeeping, rabbit rearing, mushroom growing and how to add value in milk, fruits and herbs, among others.

GOVT PRIORITIES

Stephen Byantwale, the commissioner crop protection at the agriculture ministry, said Government has put in place strategies and policies to provide an enabling environment for farmers and to implement the National Development Plan III.

Stephen Byantwale, Commissioner for Crop Protection, agriculture ministry speaks at the launch of the 7th Harvest Money Expo. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

He added that the Government has put in place an agriculture value chain development strategy that looks at all areas in the sector

Byantwale asked Vision Group and the sponsors to guide farmers on best practices to grow high-value crops.

“We have been supporting our farmers with beans and maize, but let’s look at strategic commodities, such as hass avocado, macadamia and other crops, from which you can earn much more from just one acre,” he advised.

Byantwale said Cabinet also guided them on the response to climate change effects, saying we cannot achieve much unless issues of provision of water for production are addressed.

Godfrey Marange (third left), Sales and Planning Riela shows Don Wanyama, Vision group CEO and Barbara Kaija, Vision Group Editor in Chief how to operate a maize grinding machine. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

“This is a big gap, that is why we need to tackle the issue of irrigation for both small and large scale during the expo.”

The third aspect Cabinet has guided, according to Byantwale, is mechanisation and appropriate technology and giving information to the farmers through barazas, expos and shows.

To create more awareness, he urged Vision Group to partner with his ministry.

Commenting on food and seed security, Byantwale said it is unfortunate for the Pearl of Africa to see people dying because of hunger and food shortage with all the fertile land around.

William Owora (second left), MD of Riela Uganda shows guest some of their equipment. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

He, therefore, said Cabinet directed that they engage with the ministries, departments, and agencies and the people in private sector who have land for agriculture but is underutilised.

He disclosed that they had been directed to have a target of 100,000 acres for the last quarter, but that they managed to get 40,000 acres for harvesting maize, soya beans, beans and sorghum.

Guests listen in as William Owora shows them some of the products assembled from their factory. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

To achieve this, he said his teams are working with Uganda People’s Defence Forces, National Enterprise Corporation at Kyankwanzi, Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, National Animal Genetic Resources Centre Data Bank and the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO).

Godfrey Marange, Sales and Planning Riela shows guests how the hand maize grinding machine works. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

Byantwale said NAADS has been supporting people excavate ponds to boost the fisheries sector.

PARTNERS COMMEND VISION GROUP

Pledging continued support to the Harvest Money Expo and related projects, Frank Buizer, the agricultural attaché at the Netherlands Embassy, advised Ugandan farmers to focus on value addition, saying it leads to expansion of Ugandan market internationally.

He revealed that a delegation from 15 companies from Netherlands will fly into Uganda for the expo to showcase their products and find ways of co-operating with Ugandan farmers.

Frank Buizer, Agricultural councillor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands speaks at the launch of the 7th Harvest Money Expo. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

The Netherlands is the second-largest exporter of agriculture produce in the world.

Buizer added that about 100 exhibitors will showcase at the Dutch village, which will be one of the biggest attractions at the expo.

The same space will also accommodate local companies linked to the Dutch, plus the best farmers.

Med Mwiri, Sales and Marketing Manager ENGSOL speaks at the launch of the 7th Harvest Money Expo. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

Commending Vision Group’s innovations to boost agriculture, Buizer said two different groups of the winners from the previous best farmers’ competition will fly to the Netherlands this year on different study tours.

A guest tries out a hand maize grinder as Joshua Kato, New Vision Multimedia Producer and David Mukholi, Content Manager Editorial Support & Training Vision group look on. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

He disclosed that they have programmes on food security and horticulture, in which they equip farmers with agricultural skills.

He noted that the group of best farmers for 2022 will go to the Netherlands before the end of May, while the 2021 winners will travel either in August or September this year.

Buizer said the Netherlands craves for African foods, urging more Ugandan youth to engage in agriculture.

He said through agriculture, the youth can become entrepreneurs and make agriculture attractive for business.

Besides food security, Buizer said they are also working on an enabling environment, bilateral trade and investment so that exports to Europe are of high quality.

PRODUCERS COMMEND VISION GROUP

Service providers to the agriculture sector have been making a killing since the first Harvest Money Expo.

Dr Samuel Ssewagudde commercial manager Tunga Nutrition revealed that Vision Group’s Harvest Money Expo is the biggest in the East African region and second to the Poultry Africa event which is held in Kigali, Rwanda, in Africa.

Samuel Ssewagudde, Commercial Manager Tunga Nutrition speaks at the launch of the 7th Harvest Money Expo at Riela Uganda in Kiwanga, Bukerere. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

He said the expo brings people together with networking opportunities as different exhibitors showcase technology and get direct feedback from customers about their products.

Ssewagudde said when they first attended the expo in 2018, their business grew the following year by 200% because of exposure on Vision Group media platforms.

He said their company, which supplies animal feeds, will later this year launch a factory in Kampala.

The NAADS executive director, Dr Samuel Mugasi, thanked Vision Group for making it a point to report issues on agriculture on all their platforms.

Samuel Mugasi, NAADS Executive Director speaks at the launch of the 7th Harvest Money Expo. (Photo by Miriam Namutebi)

He noted that there is increase in production, but that the country is struggling with adding value to their products, which is what they are focusing on.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Uganda’s economy. So, let’s have more sponsors for greater impact,” he advised.

Mugasi stressed that the agriculture sector is at take-off stage in Uganda because there is positive trade between the country and the regional countries.

“Let us analyse the entire value chain and we see how to support the agriculture sector, which has an annual growth of three to four percent.”

Mugasi, however, said the Government is targeting 6% growth, demanding more funding in agriculture from Government.