By Apollo Mubiru
Over 5,000 youths in 16 districts have secured employment with Grainpulse Limited, an integrated agribusiness company in the grains value chain.
About Grainpulse
Grainpulse chairperson, Hannington Karuhanga, said the youths are clustered in different hubs and are provided with solutions that positively impact their lives and contribute to the growth of the grain value chain across Africa.
“We are providing a market for their produce at competitive prices. We also ensure proper storage and processing of all grains and coffee,” he explained.
Karuhanga made the remarks while briefing agriculture minister, Frank Tumwebaze and the permanent secretary Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama, who had visited Grainpulse in Mukono on Tuesday.
“Through advisory support and training, we co-operate with farmers, train them on proper agricultural practices and later provide market for their products at fair prices,” Karuhanga said.
He said their fertiliser plant uses cutting-edge technology and highly qualified specialists, which enables them to deliver products tailored to the needs and expectations of the clients.
“We also co-operate with a wide range of farms and research centres to continuously develop more crop specific fertiliser blends. We formalise and commercialise sustainable local agriculture by providing superior agronomic solutions and value chain expansion,” Karuhanga said.
Minister responds
Tumwebaze commended the company for observing high quality standards, saying the Government is prioritising lowering costs of doing business in Uganda.
“Let our farmers acquire skills on how to reduce costs in doing business. If a farmer uses the right seeds and applies the right fertilisers, such as the ones produced here, Uganda benefits,” he said.
“Using good farm inputs and fertilisers reduces costs and maximises profits on the side of the farmer,” he added.
The minister said issues raised recently by importers of Ugandan grains (maize) with aflatoxins would not have arisen if standards in harvesting and storage of grains was followed.
In June, tests confirmed that Ugandan maize exports to South Sudan contained high levels of aflatoxins.
A total of 65 Ugandan trucks, transporting maize to South Sudan, were impounded by the South Sudan National Bureau of Standards at the Nimule-Elegu border on allegations that the quality of some of the maize was compromised.
The South Sudan authorities alleged that the maize contained aflatoxins of over 10bpp, a high measure of abundance of b-propeller phytases (bpp) and therefore, unsuitable for human consumption.
