“Value addition increases prices of our products by between 5% and 20%. It also enables the
country to retain more wealth while creating employment opportunities across the production chain,”Dr.Musoke said.
“A kilogram of raw meat may fetch about $4, but once processed into steak or other premium products, its value can rise significantly, even up to $50. This demonstrates the importance of value addition. Uganda must therefore move away from exporting raw animals and instead focus on processed, high-value products.”
He was on Thursday speaking while flagging off the first consignment of processed beef to the Diamond Hotel and Restaurant Group in Ethiopia by Ranchers Finest Limited, a Uganda meat processing facility in Kawempe.
Dr.Musoke hailed the company for the bold step towards boosting the country’s exports, noting that it marks an important step.
“This deal is a very big achievement for Uganda and one of the biggest milestones for our livestock industry,” Dr. Musoke said.
Dr. Musoke noted that processing meat locally creates jobs in slaughtering, packaging, transportation, quality assurance and marketing, while also increasing returns to farmers.
“We are going to create more jobs. I urge Ugandans to go back to the farms and rear animals because demand for processed meat is growing,” he said.
He commended Ranchers Finest for investing in value addition and positioning Uganda as a reliable supplier of processed meat products that meet international food safety standards.
“We thank the management for putting Uganda on the map,” he said.
Dr. Musoke also urged farmers, investors and other stakeholders to support companies engaged in value addition to enable Uganda to earn more from its livestock resources.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Collin Muyanja said Rancher Finest has secured a deal to export 20 tonnes of processed beef and other premium meat products, including sausages, steaks and lamb, every month to the Ethiopian hospitality chain.
“Diamond Group awarding us this tender is a mark of confidence in Ranchers Finest and Ugandan beef products. We have always maintained that Uganda has a distinct competitive advantage in that our meat products have the best flavour,” Muyanja said.
He also emphasised the need for value addition.
“For long, we have been exporting carcasses. We do not gain value as a country by exporting carcasses because those same carcasses are imported into the region. Other companies process them into steaks, sausages, and then export them back into Uganda. In that process, we lose five to ten times in value,” he said.
“Why focus on value addition? As a country, it means we start earning more per animal. When we export a carcass, we earn very little. But when we process it into steak, sausages, bacon, and other products, we earn more, and farmers also earn better. It also creates more jobs along the value chain—on farms, in abattoirs, processing plants, packaging, and related industries.”
Muyanja said the company is working with partners and out grower farmers to ensure sustainability of raw materials.