By Elizabeth Ankunda

21st March 2023

President Yoweri Museveni has challenged the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Parliamentary Regional Whips to emphasize value-addition on Uganda’s products if the country is to reap from them.

 

In a meeting with these leaders at State House Entebbe, the President said that coffee, cotton, maize, milk, forest products and minerals are some of the commodities that should not be exported in a raw form because it is a loss to the farmers and the country.

 

He says that in his recently concluded trip to Algeria, they agreed that Uganda can export her coffee, but if processed Uganda can earn above USD 25 per Kilogram from the current USD 2.1 dollars per kilo equally to other products.

 

Museveni says once every producer embraces value addition the country will attain the long awaited middle income status with a total GDP of over and above USD 500 billion from the current USD 42 billion.

 

The meeting was also attended by a consortium of 15 companies dealing in the production and export of coffee whose leader Nelson Tugume told the President that about USD 10 million, approximately 37 billion Uganda shillings is needed in the first phase to export the required quality and quantity of processed coffee to the Balkan states and other markets explored since Russia invaded Ukraine.

 

The meeting was attended by among others; the Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, the Government Chief Whip Hon. Hamson Obua and the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka.

 

END


Tuesday 21st March 2023 08:28:22 PM