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Bugisu to export kamalea to Korea
Bamboo shoots, locally known as kamalea. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Mr Lee Song Wo, the secretary to Korea business forum, said: “Elgon products, mainly coffee and bamboo products, are marketable in Korea, and many young people like coffee, especially from the Elgon area, mainly Arabica coffee and in a day Korean people consume about six to seven cups.”
The bamboo sauce delicacy from the Bugisu Sub-region commonly known as kamalea is set to be exported to South Korea, as one of the ways to bolster bi-lateral trade between the two countries.
The edible bamboo shoots will be exported by Mbale City Trader Association (Macita) members.
Mr James Netalishe, the vice chairman of Macita, made the revelation at the weekend during the Korea-Uganda business expo in Kireka, Kampala.
He said: “We believe that if we are selling bamboo in Uganda at Shs10,000, we shall sell at a higher price in Korea when we add value to them.”
Mr Lee Song Wo, the secretary to Korea business forum, said: “Elgon products, mainly coffee and bamboo products, are marketable in Korea, and many young people like coffee, especially from the Elgon area, mainly Arabica coffee and in a day Korean people consume about six to seven cups.”
He added: “The coffee market in Korea is big and it has been one of the products we are exporting to Korea.”
The other bamboo products from Bugisu Sub-region include cups, bottles, among others.
Mr Lee revealed that currently they are working on a Korea-Uganda promotion website “so that Korean buyers can have direct access to Uganda products. The farmers who are exhibiting here will benefit directly without going through brokers”.
“We need to diversify in many different items and not only coffee...we shall find out which products are marketable to the Korea market,” Mr Lee added.
According to a WhatsApp group known as What’s up Mbale, this delicacy is called “kamalea”, not “malewa” and if it’s one, it’s called “Lilea”.
Just like imbalu and Arabica coffee, Bagisu value kamalea.
