By.Our reporter
Sudan’s standards agency arrives in Uganda to carry out pre-shipment inspection of the Uganda coffee exports to their country.
The delegation led by the deputy director General for the Sudan Standards Metrology Organization (SSMO) Eng.Zakaria Suliman was received by the Ugandan counterpart Ben Manyindo and the Uganda coffee Development Authority director in charge of quality and Regulatory services Edmund kananura at UNBS offices in Bweyogere.
The Sudan Standards Metrology Organization (SSMO) boss Eng.Zakaria Suliman says, Uganda coffee is the much needed type in sudan by coffee consumers but there are issues related to its pre-shipment inspection which they needed to verify and report to their country.
After sudan raising the issues about Uganda’s coffee, the ministry of Trade ordered for inspections to be done against a new green coffee grading standard for coffee imports.
The ministry directed for measures in areas which include coffee grades, moisture content and requires testing for agricultural chemical residues, radioactivity, microbiological and biochemical contaminants.
Zakaria suliman adds that they wanted Uganda to subject its coffee before export to International Surveyor certificate from International Surveyor Companies registered by the Sudan Standards Metrology Organization, International Surveyor certificate approved by the National Standards Body of the country of origin and Certificate from an international accredited laboratory approved by the National Standards Body of the Country of origin.
The team is to spend five days in Uganda assessing coffee testing capacities by Uganda National Bureau of standards and Uganda coffee Development Authority as well as visiting the coffee value chain in some parts of Luwero ,Bushenyi and masaka.
The Uganda coffee Development Authority director in charge of quality and Regulatory services Edmund kananura notes that they have made a lot of changes and improvement over safety and physical parameters towards Uganda coffee standard compliance to be allowed in sudan and other countries market.
Uganda exports 20% of its coffee to sudan out of the 4.6 million bags it exports annually to global markets.
END
