Focus on trade channels to obtain viable products - Museveni

Jan 20, 2018

Museveni said Uganda targets to produce 20 million bags of coffee annually.

PIC: Museveni with a delegation of investors from Sudan. The President advised investors to consider products with a high value-addition component. (Credit: PPU)

TRADE

KAMPALA- President Yoweri Museveni has assured prospective investors that the issue of taxation should not be raised as a hindrance to trade.

‘‘Taxation can be discussed later. Trade channels to obtain viable products is the most important issue,'' he said.

The President held a meeting on Friday with a group of twenty investors from Sudan with interests to invest in various areas. These include gas and petroleum refinery, food and fruit processing, farming, e-waste, banking and insurance, chicken hatchery as well as construction.

The group comprised Abbarci Group of Ali Abbarci, Heiblig Petroleum Company led by Osman Siddig; Walls Petroleum Company led by Mohmed Omar;  Kampal Limited led by Yasir Kampal for food processing and Osman Industries, a company that processes sanitary pads.

The President urged the delegation to consider areas of investment in products with a high value-addition component.

He said for the investor interested in birds and animal feeds, the Government is ready to identify land in the southwest of the country and in close proximity of the city centre with an advantage of feeds out-growers to supplement on a big production of feeds.

Museveni said those interested in food fruit processing can be helped to identify areas around Luwero, Masaka, Kayunga, Gulu and West Nile, where fruits flourish.

"It should be the option of the investor to choose the region. To guide the investor is not a problem. Uganda is the second largest producer of bananas after India in the world. Here, all fruits, including oranges and mangoes grow well,'' he said.

For coffee, the President told prospective investors that they can process and the surplus is exported for better profits. He said Uganda has a target of producing 20 million bags of coffee annually.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});