Uganda: Government to Set Up U.S.$500,000 Fruit Factory in Soroti

Josephine Acom, 27, a saloon worker in Soroti town, is impressed with the Government's push to promote citrus fruit growing in Teso region.

"There is a lot of redundant land in my village and if people can be supported to plant citrus fruits, even the poorest people in the villages can earn some money," Acom observed.

 

Joseph Odongo, a 45-year-old businessman and former civil servant from Kaberamaido says,

"It is a good idea, but the problem we have is these resources trickling down to the common man. In the past, we have seen things that are meant for the poor being hijacked by the wealthy."

 

Today, citrus production is one of the success stories of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) programme in Teso.

There are about 1.5 million fruiting citrus trees in Teso region and by 2011, the region is likely to have about five million fruiting trees.

 

However, proper marketing of the fruits remains a challenge.

"This level of success means the government needs to explore other interventions in value addition to sustain production to enhance the fruit's shelf life for distant markets," says Odongo.

 

The good news is that the Government plans to set up a fruit processing factory in the region.

Last month, a team of experts from the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) went to evaluate how much it would cost to install a small capacity factory in the area.