Uganda to participate in Italian trade expo

Uganda has been selected to showcase at this year’s trade and agricultural exhibition in Bologna, Italy, in November.
The EIMA international exhibition will run from November 9 to November 13. 

The exhibition attracts professionals in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and landscaping, specialists in agro-mechanics and industry business people.
It also offers a vast range of machines, equipment and components for every farming method.
Mr Alessandro Malavolti, the president of the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, said Uganda was picked because of its stable and good climate for agriculture.

“We are in Uganda because it is a very stable country in East Africa, you have wonderful land and potential to excel in agriculture,” Mr Alessandro said during a press conference in Kampala yesterday.
When asked what Ugandan farmers will gain from the agricultural exhibition, Mr Alessandro said: “It’s important to visit such a big global exhibition to understand the latest technology in agriculture and have the same implemented back at home.”
Makerere University associate professor Donald Rugira Kugonza said he was looking forward to buying some of the machines for feeding and harvesting.

“These Italians manufacture very good and durable agricultural machines, I have used them before. The challenge that they have is that they should now popularise the availability of their durable machines to those who were not aware about them,” Prof Rugira said.
“This is because very few people can fly to Italy to check on these agricultural machines when they should be bringing them here for the local people to have a feel,” he added.

EIMA also offers opportunities for information and updating.It  provides overview of the most recent IT solutions for agriculture and the robot space, which focuses on advanced automation for the primary activity.
Agriculture employs more than 70 percent of the population and contributes half of Uganda’s export earning, according to the Agriculture ministry.

Opportunities
The exhibition is also designed to facilitate business meetings and optimise the activities of exhibitors and visitors. Showcasing  the same product types within sectors also allows direct comparison between models produced by different industries and offers an immediate update on the technical features and new products.