Ugandans urged to embrace value-addition

Sep 10, 2017

The country loses more than 30% of mainly fruits and vegetable harvest due to poor preservation standards.

Prof. Kwesiga (centre) with some of the residents during the tour. Photos by Victoria Nampala

Ugandans have been urged to embrace value-addition, especially with Agricultural products if they are to make it to the international market.

Speaking during a field tour in Nsanje , Kyotera district,  Prof. Charles Kwesiga, the executive director of Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI), said that value-addition is critical if the country is to penetrate the international market .

Whereas the country has been sending processed goods to the world market, Prof. Kwesiga says the amount is still insufficient.

He added that the country loses more than 30% of mainly fruits and vegetable harvest due to poor preservation standards.

He said such losses are the reason why UIRI came up with a programme of training people, mainly women and youth on how to add value to different agricultural products.

 asamba showing off some of the coffee plants Kasamba showing off some of his coffee plants

 

Former Kakuuto County MP and EALA legislator, Mathias Kasamba, said there is need for the Government to invest more money in training people on how to run agricultural enterprises.

"As a country, we are limited by lack of standards for most of our products. This limits our capacity and the Government must expedite the standards process," Kasamba said.

He also said the Government should start growing coffee and vegetables on some of its vast acres of unutilised land.

"The Government has got a lot of idle space, yet we need land to grow coffee, vegetables," Kasamba said.

 

 

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