BUSIA – It is estimated that over 1000Mt of maize, beans, Sorghum, Millet, Soya beans, groundnuts, green grams and simsim grain is traded on a daily due to the demand by Kenyan transit traders at the regional border market of Busia. Uganda is hub of cereals which is locally grown.
Last week President Museveni commissioned Busia central market and a grain value addition facility in the same vicinity of Busia Municipality to help the Uganda traders to add value and improve the quality and cost of Uganda’s grain that is traded to Kenya through best post-harvest handling practices.
The multi-billion facility at a cost of 24.5 billion shillings (VAT inclusive) through Ministry of Local government will host over 2000 vendors and 1261 facilities, which include; grain value addition systems like cleaning, milling and packaging, production of poultry and animal feeds, market stalls, banking facilities, bulk storage facilities, and vendor offices for both the local and regional market.
The 3000-tones value addition facility has the capacity to do maize milling with 1.5 tones per hour.
President Museveni said the new market will boost the business environment at the border district and urged the vendors and consumers to get rid of hygiene challenges that characterized old traditional markets.
The facility was constructed by the government of Uganda with support from the African Development bank under the markets and agricultural trade improvement programme – project 2 (MATIP-2) in the Ministry of Local government. The facility deals in pre-cleaning, drying and storing of grain.
Government of Uganda has establishment markets across regions in several districts like Jinja, Tororo, Soroti, Entebbe e.t.c to improve livelihoods of the urban poor who should take advantage of them.
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