By Herbert Musoke
There are hundreds of herbs and grasses that are around us. Although most of these are beneficial to humans, very few Ugandans utilise them effectively. This is why, adding value to herbs is one of the attractive training sessions in the Harvest Money Expo to promote establishment of cottage industries for self-sustainability.
Prof. Julius Nyanz,i the director of ProBioReseach, the producers of different oils and ointments and other value, says herbal he will give trainees knowledge and skills on adding value on different herbs.
“Herbs are around us in the environment we live in. Herbs are worldwide used to treat even chronic diseases but in Uganda our herbs have been neglected because we still use it in raw form yet we buy the well processed and packaged medicines from foreign countries like China expensively,” Nyanzi explains.
He thus calls the public to attend the Harvest Money Expo and the training to understand the relevance of herbs in everyone’s life but also know how to add value and earn a leaving.
“The country is struggling with poverty and unemployment especially among the youths including the educated yet they can start up businesses from processing herbs and become not only rich but also employ others,” he adds.
He says he will take trainees through adding value to a number of herbs such as eucalyptus leaves, coffee, Mukuna beans, Rosemary and many more herbs by making oils and powders.
“For example, a 20-litre jelly of eucalyptus oil goes for sh6m and from an acre one can process up to six 20-litre jerrycans, making it sh36m. Those leaves are left in the shambas to rot after traders getting their timber,” he says.
For coffee, oil is processed from green beans. Five kilogrammes of green beans can produce a litter of oil that goes for sh200, 000 compared for sh25, 000 that one would earn from 5kgs if sold at sh5,000 per a kilogramme.
The Harvest Money Expo due to take place from February 10th to 12 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds from 8:00am to 6:00pm at sh10,000 entrance and sh10,000 for trainings per a day.
The annual Harvest Money Expo organised by Vision group and is sponsored by The Netherlands Embassy, Champrisa International, Engineering Solutions Ltd (ENGSOL), National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) and UpFront, Uganda Warehouse Receipting System Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal husbandry and Fisheries (MAAIF).
