New fruit farmers' association to boost fruit exports

The Government has urged fruit-producing farmers to take advantage of the demand worldwide where Ugandan fruits and vegetables are desirable because of their sweetness and fresh taste.

Hortifresh is a farmers group with a vision of creating an enabling environment for sustainable production of Uganda's fresh fruits and vegetable produce.

Uganda is currently exporting 5.3 million metric tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables second to Nigeria which is exporting 16 million metric tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables, a very small fraction of the world's demand for fruits and vegetables.

They intend to create a sustainable supply chain of fruits and vegetables to target the world market specifically the European market which has embraced Uganda's vegetables and fruits.

The launch of the farmers association presents huge opportunities to Ugandan producers of fresh fruits and vegetables to tap into a huge market, however, the opportunity faces challenges of Limited processing capacity, poor branding, and poor packaging.

Speaking at the launch of the farmer's group, state minister for Agriculture Bwino Fred Kyakulaga says government will support the farmers to remove trade barriers, improve packaging and processing capacity for farmers.