Gov’t will not ban exportion of food- Rugunda
What you need to know:
- At the beginning of this month, The East African weekly reported that in the past three months, Uganda has exported more than 28,000 tonnes of maize worth $14 million to the region
- This year, Uganda has sold 13,312 tonnes of maize to its neighbours with the bulk going to Tanzania (7,240 tonnes), followed by Rwanda (3,566 tonnes), then Kenya (2,506 tonnes) as food insecurity reaches alarming levels across various parts of the region
Kampala. The government shall not ban the export of food, the Prime Minister, Rukahana Rugunda, says.
Dr. Rugunda says it is the government’s policy to encourage regional trade, not to frustrate it.
Lately, there have been calls by some Ugandan politicians to ban the export of food.
But Dr. Rugunda says now that the rainy season has started, Uganda’s farmers should take advantage of the rains to plant quick maturing crops.
“We do not believe the currently increasing regional trade should be disrupted because of this temporary situation,” Dr. Rugunda said at Parliament on Wednesday, February 23.
“We, as a government, therefore, have no intention to ban purchase and export of food. We would actually want to encourage and promote regional trade; we import some things we don’t have and selling to those countries things they might not have. The rains have started coming. Let us take advantage so that we produce for our consumption and the regional market.”
Dr. Rugunda was responding to the Lugazi Municipality Member of Parliament (MP), Isaac Mulindwa’s call to ban the export of food.
Mr Mulindwa also suggested the government should exempt food imports from tax.
This proposal was informed by reports that the Uganda Revenue Authority had refused to release rice that China donated to Uganda to mitigate the food shortage.
According to the Agriculture ministry, 1.6 million are in need of relief food.
The ministry attributed the food shortages to the long dry spell, which reduced crop yields.
The dry spell has affected the entire East African Community region, prompting other countries to import food from Uganda.
At the beginning of this month, The East African weekly reported that in the past three months, Uganda has exported more than 28,000 tonnes of maize worth $14 million to the region.
This year, Uganda has sold 13,312 tonnes of maize to its neighbours with the bulk going to Tanzania (7,240 tonnes), followed by Rwanda (3,566 tonnes), then Kenya (2,506 tonnes) as food insecurity reaches alarming levels across various parts of the region.
