Uganda and Denmark have agreed to come up with a framework that will see an improvement in Ugandan agricultural products for ease of access to the European Union market. Ugandan chilies and vegetables have faced an impending ban from the EU market, over contamination.
Early this year, the EU head of delegation in Uganda, Attilio Pacifi ci, petitioned the agriculture ministry to deal with pest infestations, which he said were on the increase among Ugandan consignments of rose flowers, peppers, and soursop.
He said failure to do so would lead to a total ban on the products. However, during a meeting on the sidelines of the Roskilde Agricultural and country fair show, which was held in Denmark from 31st May to 2nd June, the state minister for agriculture, Joy Kabatsi, met with organisers of the fair, who agreed to develop a framework to address the current quality concerns dogging Uganda agricultural products.
Under the codename, Pan African Development Project (PADP), the project will seek to enlighten Ugandan farmers on the food process chain, detailing how food from the farm ends up on the customers’ table. It was noted that even with the impending EU ban, many Ugandans have not understood why most of our food products are being rejected on the European market.
“For instance, in Brussels, chilies from Uganda have to be stopped, if nothing is done to match the required phytosanitary and sanitary provisions,” it was observed in the meeting.
The Ugandan Mission in Copenhagen was tasked with following up with the Danish Company to access financing granted as part of the Danish aid program for the developing world with a focus on Africa and East Africa.
“The mechanism will look at the products value chain, different sectors, required inputs and outputs, seeds, nuts, dairy, roots fruits, aquatic, livestock agriculture as all part of nutrition and the overall agriculture set up including labour, taking into account the machinery and equipment, which also identify quality control measures that overall will address and deliver Uganda to the UN 2030 goal and our own Ugandan NDP 2020/2040.”
The Roskilde Agricultural and Country Fair is attended by over 150 agricultural exhibitors, who showcase over 1,800 animals and a variety of agricultural equipment, which any country interested in agricultural improvement, and those seeking information about agriculture would greatly benefit from
