Six Ugandan Agro-processing Firms Secure Shs13.8 Billion to Scale Operations
Six Ugandan companies will share 3.48 million euros (about Shs13.9 billion) from the European Union and East African Community Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) "to scale up operations and support smallholder coffee and cocoa farmers to improve production and productivity".
According to Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), the funds will also help reduce harvest and post-harvest losses and increase market access to the European Union & East African Community.
The six companies are Rubanga Cooperative Union, Ainea, UGACOF Ltd, New Bukumbi Coffee Processors Limited, Uganda Coffee Farmers’ Alliance, which are involved in coffee; and Sons Company Ltd and Outspan Agric. Ltd, which are involved in cocoa.
MARKUP was founded to support the EAC efforts to increase regional trade and exports to international markets and this is done through strengthening the EAC Secretariat in its ability to coordinate the implementation of regional policy and build an enabling environment for SMEs.
Cocoa was first introduced in Uganda in 1901 by the British colonial administration. Commercial exports started in 1917.
Uganda currently exports over 30,000 tonnes of cocoa beans per year, according to data from the Uganda Export Promotion Board, which says the East African nation is among the top 20 exporters of cocoa in the world.
Uganda picked up $61.43 million (about Shs218 billion) in October, made from exporting 486,534 bags of coffee weighing 60kg each, according to UCDA.
The National Coffee Roadmap targets to produce 20 million 60kg bags of coffee annually by 2025.
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