Minister Anite lauds Hamis Kiggundu for setting up modern agro-processing plant

Evelyn Anite, the state minister of Finance in charge of Investment has lauded businessman, Hamis Kiggundu, for creating jobs and opportunities for young people.

Anite made the remarks while touring the tycoon's agro-processing plant in the Akright Estate along Entebbe road.

Anite was accompanied by a team of officials from the Free-Trade Zone Authority.

"Thank you Ham for investing in Uganda & for creating jobs. It was nice listening to a young and focused young Ugandan investor. As government, we promise to support the post harvest handling for export & the entire project," Anite said.

Kiggundu said their main goal is to promote agro value addition mainly through assessing, sorting,quality analysis, managing,packaging and marketing local produce domestically, regionally and internationally.

The vast complex was built at Shs 440 billion, according to Kiggundu, who took the minister on the tour of the plant.

The plant processes and adds value to various crops from across the board ranging from fruits, vegetables, cereals and other plants for both local consumption and export.

Kiggundu told the minister that he plans to build more specialised processing plants in the major agricultural zones across the country in the future.

For example he will set up milk and meat processing units in Mbarara and Karamoja sub region; maize and sugar mills in the Hoima Masindi region, another plant in West Nile and the North, Eastern and Central.

"This will create more employment opportunities and boost incomes for communities across the country while boosting production and foreign exchange earnings as all the excess produce will be value added first then exported," Kiggundu said.