Amelia Kyambadde the Trade, Industry and Corporation minister (4th right) poses with some of the officials at the fruit factory

Dry tests at the Teso Fruit Factory in Soroti indicate it will finally be ready for launch before the end of this year.

Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde, members of the Board of Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), Leaders of Teso Region, farmers and other stakeholders toured the factory on Wednesday 16^th May 2018 and were shown the various facilities in place. Officials told the visiting team that dry tests have been done with wet tests with actual fruits to start in June.

After several delays, construction of the $12M about sh48bn Ugx factory has been completed with all machinery installed with official opening will be done  by President Yoweri Museveni in August 2018.

“After the trial test, commissioning of the factory will be done in August by President Museveni,” The Minister of  Trade, Industry and Cooperative Amelia Kyambadde, told a group of stakeholders including fruit farmers, district leaders and MPs from the Teso sub-region during the tour of the factory last week.

Kyambadde also said that as a ministry they have been restless over the issues regarding the fruit processing plant, pledging that she will not rest until the factory begins commercial production, which she said will happen in slightly over three months.
According to UDC, government’s investment arm, the factory is now fully installed, pending technical testing, which will then lead to processing of fruits.
The construction of the factory began in April 2015 and was scheduled to have been completed in 2016.
And now government says testing the “facility and all that will take about three months from May.”

“We should be up and running – start commercial production,” Yudaya Kadondi, the project coordinator, said after the tour of the plant.
Kadondi, who is also the UDC senior economist, said there is no reason as to why we should not start commercial production, adding: “After three months of testing, there is no more excuse as to why commercial production shouldn’t start.”

Ronald Kigongo Akakwanswa, the Soroti Fruit Factory manager production and technical services, said all arrangements have been made including organising farmers to supply the fruits.
The fruit processing plant is an initiative of the government, with assistance of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), working in partnership with the Teso Tropical Fruit Growers Cooperative Union(TTFGCU).

According to Kadondi The factory has a capacity of 6 metric tonnes of oranges per hour, 2 metric tones of mangoes per hour and 4 metric tones of pineapples per hour,  the plant will start with a single shift of about 8 hours, processing nearly 650,000 tonnes of oranges and 25,000 tonnes of mangoes annually.
It will then move to a double shift and eventually to a 24 hour operation system in order to absorb supplies as well as meet market demand.

Way back in 2012, the Korean Government through their development arm; Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) offered to provide a turnkey project for Soroti Fruit Factory

The post Teso fruit factory to be opened soon in soroti first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The post Government has started registering Small and Medium Enterprises first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

 This Memorandum of Understanding aims to strengthen the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector in Uganda by collaborating with the Ministry to increase capacity on an optimal legal framework and best practices in the MSME sector. The minister of trade, Industry and Cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde signed on behalf of the ministry and for the Financial Sector Deepening Uganda its executive director Jacquelin Musitwa signed.

Trade Minister Amelia Kyambadde

The partnership is also geared towards working with the Ministry of trade to improve the business environment for MSMEs by facilitating and promoting increased access and usage of quality and affordable financial services.

The Executive Director Financial Sector Deepening Uganda Jacquelin Musitwa said that despite of the many challenges Micro Small and Medium Enterprise are up against, these household enterprises collectively employ six (6) out of every 10 Ugandans of employable age which makes these small enterprises a critical pillar in Uganda’s quest to achieve a middle-income status by 2020.

Mrs.Musitwa noted that although these small enterprises account for only 20% of Uganda’s Gross Domestic Product, they have the potential to evolve into the big giant companies of tomorrow if provided with the right support and business environment.

She said that the Financial Sector Deepening Uganda has entered this partnership for two years    to and contribute to the growth of the small enterprises that will not only employ more Ugandans but also offer a bigger significant contribution to Uganda’s economic growth and development by promoting competition.

She said that it important to leverage mobile technology that requires minimal infrastructure and has a wider penetration among the ordinary Ugandans to provide services such as savings, debt and insurance. Access to formal financial services and their use to reduce vulnerability is a power tool in poverty reduction.

On her behalf the minister of Trade, industry and cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde said that her ministry is working hard to formalize the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise since Uganda’s economy is premised on their in put to ensure that there is fair competition and consumer protection.

The post Trade Ministry signs new MOU first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Minister David Bahati

Bahati told parliament that government has told the URA to screen the 84 companies that applied for this payment on basis that they supplied to south Sudan government goods and service so as the genuine ones are paid.

He said that government is committed to pay  the affected traders and later south Sudan government pays Uganda government.

He said that the list of traders from URA will be taken to parliament ant the amount of money required for approval.

Its estimated that government would spend about 140 billion shillings to clear this debt which was cause d by the instability in south sudan .

The minister of Trade Amelia Kyambadde also said that more application for traders who missed on the first phase .

The post URA directed to finalize verification of Ugandan companies supplying goods to South Sudan first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Betty Nambooze the Mukono Municipality MP.

The implementation of the Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2016 hangs in balance again following claims by the Mukono Municipality MP, Betty Nambooze Bakirekke, that the minister of health, Ruth Aceng, is avoiding discussions with the legislator on the way forward.

The Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill 2016 was tabled last year in Parliament as a private members’ bill fronted by Nambooze who has also claimed that she has been denied leave by Parliament and who instead sent the promoters of the bill to first make consultations that they say will harmonize issues which could face resistance during mentions on the house’s floor.

Nambooze however, says Health Minister, Aceng is unwilling to meet them and make adjustments where necessary.

While speaking to journalists recently at parliament, Nambooze told the media that her bill has much support from the public especially religious institutions and local council authorities but that it’s now being frustrated by the ministers of health and trade.

She also alleged that the minister of trade, Amelia Kyambadde, wants to snatch the bill from the ministry of health so that it’s frustrated in favor of the alcohol manufacturers and sellers.

Nambooze revealed that when parliament resumes, they will plead to the house to grant her leave (permission) and move to another stage of justifying why this bill is needed to be passed in law to regulate the alcohol use.

Jane Ruth Aceng the minister of health

The bill provides regulations to among other issues restrict the sale of alcohol to persons under the age of 18 and will be an offense for a person to purchase an alcoholic drink for another person if he or she knows or has reason to believe is below 18 years of age or to allow an underage person to access premises where alcoholic beverages are stored, sold or consumed.

It proposes a punishment to offenders of 10 years in prison or 20 million shillings.

The post Health minister frustrating Alcohol Control Bill 2016, says Nambooze first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Amelia Kyambadde the Trade Minister.

The line minister, Amelia Kyambadde, said this while meeting the Parliamentary Natural Resources Committee on how to secure the country from famine.

He says government is in talks with ministry of finance on how to re-own the sold 36 silos in areas of Kiboga, Kyankwanzi, and others in Busoga and other parts of the country.

Kyambadde further informed the committee that government is soon acquiring a loan to repair the 162 ware houses that will be used to store food.

Meanwhile ministry of Trade has denied responsibility of poor quality car fuel on market.

Grain handling and sorting Silo in Masindi.

Kyambadde said that the responsibility of quality guarantee of products on market lies in ministry of Energy and Uganda National Bureau of standards.

The post Government wants to buy back Silos to avert food insecurity in the country first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Minister of Trade, Amelia Kyambadde

Weak leadership and low capital contributions by members is one of the major challenges faced by the cooperative unions in the country. The Minister of trade, industry and cooperatives Amelia Kyambadde made the remarks while briefing journalists at the media centre  on the status of cooperatives in the country.

The minister however says her ministry was working with the private sector to educate the masses on why they should save with cooperative societies. Kyambadde says that over  16,408  co-operatives have been registered
and in 2015 alone a total of 1014 new co-operatives were registered, majority of them were SACCOs and Agricultural marketing cooperative societies.

The post Weak leadership hurting cooperative unions – Minister first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

Kyambadde adds that small scale business entrepreneurs are the main contributors to economic development yet therey lack a direct link with the government.

She says for some time some have been cheated their money when they get misunderstandings when are promised by individuals to solves these problems.

The directorate will be housed at the ministry head offices in Kampala geared at boosting SMEs in the country.

By Isaac Senbulya

The post Government to form SMEs directorate first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The minister of trade, industry and cooperatives Amelia Kyambade says a number of Businesses are not certified making it hard for them to fully compete in the market today.

Minister Kyambade advised the SME to certify their products to the standards required by the local and international markets.

She said this during a training session of over 50 small and medium enterprises on how to package their products to
improve exports.

The training was aimed at strengthening capacity of African inter-media organizations such as the Uganda export promotion board institute of packaging, Uganda National Bureau of standards and Kenyan Bureau of standards.

During the same meeting, the Executive Director Uganda export promotion board Florence Kata also called upon the Uganda manufacturers to package well their products to match international standards.

Kata says if locally manufactured products are packaged well, they would penetrate the East African and the international market.

Ultimate Media

The post Small and medium entrepreneurs challenged to certify their products first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.

The minister of trade tourism and industry Amelia Anne Kyambade  said after the initial delays and contracting issues, the government i ready to construct the trade centre.

Appearing before the parliamentary accounts committee, the minister said the centre will be called Africa India institute.

Minister Amelia Kyambade however observed that the funds allocated to the ministry are inadequate to put up a modern institute in the region.

Ultimate Media

The post Government of Uganda to construct a multi-billion trade centre in the country first appeared on Uganda Multimedia News & Information.