China urged to make Uganda source of its raw materials

Chinese agro-industrial companies have been urged to make Uganda a source of their materials.

Mr Odrek Rwabwogo, the chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), said the government of Uganda is building the capacity to export quality products consistently.

 “We are improving the phytosanitary standards for our food products, modernising our laws and regulations and their enforcement and also establishing trade representation in key markets. These are some of the new measures President Museveni is applying to remove doubts from buyers of our food,” he said.

He was addressing more than 80 Chinese investors in agriculture, mining, electronics, logistics, and education services at the Oriental Resort Hotel in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China.

Mr Rwabwogo added: “We are creating critical awareness about Uganda as a good source of products because of the reforms we are making in infrastructure such as energy, roads and water to reduce production costs for firms and improve the business environment.”

He was responding to remarks by Prof Liu Jisen, the head of the Institute of African Studies, which co-hosted the meeting, who challenged Ugandan producers to ensure the sustainability of supplies they promise to China.

“We are working with the importation of beef from Zambia. Why would we not try Ugandan beef? It is because we are not sure that even when you fulfil the standards required in China, you will sustain the import demand here. China demands more food products and your consistency will be an issue if you do not plan ahead” he said.

Prof Liu wondered how many product entry protocols Uganda has signed with China and requested to sign an understanding with the Ministry of Education’s Department of Industrial Training (DIT) to improve skills for Ugandan exporters.

Uganda has quota duty-free product entry into China for more than 90 per cent of her agricultural products but few protocols on standards and compliance measures on food safety have been signed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal, Industry and Fisheries.

The Uganda Consul General to Guangzhou, Dr Judith Nsababeera, who attended the buyer-seller summit, said: “We are building our own headquarters here for the embassy and we will work with PACEID to have an information centre and Trade Hub for Uganda products.”

Uganda sells through Hong Kong small volumes of meat products including fish maw, casein (an ingredient of milk), coffee, and grains such as simsim.