President Yoweri Museveni has appealed to British food importers to allow larger quantities of agricultural produce from Uganda.
The products in question include fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy products, flowers, grains, coffees, and honey among others.
He said the move will support the many smallholder farmers who are into agriculture as a means of fighting household poverty.
The President made the call recently, in a virtual message to the UK Uganda Convention that took place in London under the theme ‘Explore Connect, Invest Drive Growth’.
“Trade is a tool for positive change stability and wealth of all humanity, we are working hard to ensure that all our foods meet the international criteria, and will soon support importers to the UK with accrediting funds to allow them to fulfil the orders,” said Museveni.
To further increase Ugandan products on the UK market, Museveni said that using the UK Export finance, the government is working on export infrastructure at all border entry points to make trading across borders easier in addition to trainings that can prepare farmers for the international markets.
Such initiatives will further be supported by the appointment of London-based Mark Percy from BTB Media, to assist in research and search for markets for Uganda’s products in the UK’s markets.
Why should UK care about Ugandan food items?
He further explained that Ugandan foods are unique and nutritious because of Mother Nature.
He gave examples of apple bananas, said to be too sweet, fruits like pineapples and foods like millet bread, a combination of millet and cassava flour.
“Some of our foods are unique in the world like the millet bread, where millet flour is mixed with cassava flour, it is the best food because they have protein, carbohydrates and iron all in one, that is why some of our tribes that eat that food are very energetic,” said Museveni.
He added that the British importers will be supporting Uganda’s shared stand to end poverty and bring about prosperity as the country produces better foods which will promote stability in the region.
At the event, it was noted that total trade in goods and services, exports and imports combined between the UK and Uganda was £232m by the end of quarter one of 2022 and according to the Office for National Statistics, UK investment in Uganda was valued at £214m in 2020, an increase of nearly 49 per cent in 2019.
