Farmers dealing in fresh vegetables and fruits have said the country’s horticultural export commodities risk losing a lot of revenue to the European Union market due little government commitment and support to the sector.
They called for government intervention to ensure that proper systems and infrastructure are put in place to improve the sector before the situation deteriorates.
The remarks were made during an engagement organized by HortiFresh, an all-inclusive business membership organization for the fresh fruits and vegetables sector. The event took place at Kabira Country Club in Kampala.
According to the industry players, Uganda is losing 14% to 15% of the produce to the foreign markets with big companies in the country losing 30 to 40 pounds every week to the market due to lack of infrastructure among other reasons.
Horticulture as a non-traditional export for Uganda had not only brought hope to the lives of many smallholder farmers as a source of income but also created jobs. Flowers, for instance, have created jobs for more than 8,500 Ugandans.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Fred Bwino Kyakulaga told the Nile Post that the key issue in the industry that needs to be given much emphasis is the quality for both home consumption and markets.
He said the government is willing to support the industry, adding that their services should be accessed by anybody in the industry to ensure the growth of horticulture in Uganda which he said has a very bright future.
Caroline Komuhangi, the chairperson of Hortifresh who also doubles as the chief executive officer White Oak Holdings Limited, said the biggest challenges the industry is currently facing is compliance.
“We need the government to continuously support and set the standards and ensure the implementation of standards at the country level even before our produce goes out of the country. The other challenge is access to fiancé, you have heard everyone talking about it,” she said, advising companies to ensure compliance to be able to access credit.
The other challenges that have been highlighted by the stakeholders in the industry are pests and viruses which affect the quality of the farmers’ produce and getting the right quality of seedlings, which farmers said needs the government to get involved in order to develop Uganda’s seed industry.
Government data indicates that exports of horticulture products have been increasing, rising from 4,400 tonnes in 2014 to 8,600 tonnes in 2020.
Data also shows that in 2020, horticultural exports to the European Union earned €350m (Shs1.4 trillion) compared to €452m (Shs1.9 trillion) in 2017.
Dr James Kanyije, the chief executive officer KK Foods, who doubles as a board member HortiFresh told the Nile Post that their problem is not the market but they need the government to guarantee their production.
“We have the market but how do we survive in the market? We want them(government) to give us infrastructure, and make sure that the pests are controlled because the government has the money to ensure that happens and that is what the government should do for us, “he said.
