By.Our Reporter
On Wednesday, August 7, 2019, the Executive Director of NAADS Dr. Samuel Mugasi officially handed over the construction site of Yumbe Mango processing factory in Yumbe district to a new contractor to expedite its expansion and completion.
The factory is a value addition initiative by the Government of Uganda through the NAADS Secretariat in partnership with Aringa Mango farmers Cooperative Society and Food and Nutrition Solutions Ltd.
The construction of the factory had stalled after Trademark East Africa pulled out due to the failure by other stakeholders to fulfil their obligations.
Following a directive from H.E the President, Government through NAADS took up the entire project injecting UGX8.7 billion in the factory to enable the expansion of the structure and installation of the equipment.
Dr. Mugasi said NAADS has already completed the procurement of the processing equipment which is being shipped from China.
He urged the new contractor China Huangpai Food Machinery company (U) ltd to expedite the completion of the factory to enable the farmers to benefit.
The General Manager of China Huangpai Food Machinery company Nelson Ojwiya said expansion and installation of machinery will take 5 months. He assured farmers that the factory will be completed by March 2020.
West Nile is one of the major mango producing regions in the country.
Early this year, Teso region saw the president commission a fruit processing factory but a few months after the commission, local farmers who were aksed to grow various fruits have started complaining about some cutting down their plantations.
The change in business among farmers comes as the factory started importing fruit from Kenya and leaving out indigenous farmers in Teso where the factory is located.
Now it is left to see whether the factory in Yumbe will not take the same route as the Teso fruit factory.
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