Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono has launched an initiative to add value to Ugandan processed rice. This is aimed at encouraging students to practice agriculture after school.

Through a partnership with the Uganda private sector dealing in quality rice and coffee processing, UCU is set to train agribusiness students unique ways of adding value to rice and coffee by processing quality products.

According to Samuel Kalimunjaye, a lecturer at the university, students are taken on ground where farmers are growing rice ,mainly in eastern Uganda and Elgon areas where Arabica coffee is grown.

“We usually organise the farmers to process quality rice and we are particularly interested in Super rice. When these farmers are threshing rice, we bring the students on ground to participate in the exercise. When the rice is milled, students are involved in screening by checking if there are stone in it. If so they sort out the stone pellets and broken rice, weigh it and package in different kilogrammes ready for delivery. The same exercise applies to coffee,” Kalimunjaye said.

Rice packages range from Shs5,000 and Shs30,000 a kilo and five kilogrammes respectively.

The Aromana Arabica Coffee packages cost Shs4,000 and Shs7,500 for 100gms and 250gm bags.