President Museveni on Thursday flagged off Uganda’s first consignment of Busoga-grown chilli peppers destined for China, marking a major step in the sub-region’s shift toward high-value commercial agriculture.
The ceremony took place at Busambo Village in Namasagali, Kamuli District, where the President, accompanied by First Lady Janet Museveni, presided over the departure of three containers carrying 11 tonnes of dried chilli.
Museveni hailed chilli as a ‘gold crop’ capable of accelerating Busoga’s economic transformation.
‘I congratulate the People’s Republic of China for their long-standing cooperation with Africa since 1949. Together, we have flagged off the first container of Uganda Chilli for export to China, another milestone for our March to prosperity,” the Ugandan leader said.
Museveni commended farmers for responding to government calls to embrace commercial agriculture and emphasized the importance of export-focused value chains in boosting household incomes.
First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga praised the President for supporting the chilli initiative but urged government to fulfil pending commitments essential for unlocking the region’s production potential.
‘The government must fulfill its commitments to unlock Busoga’s full production potential, including extending electricity and establishing an industrial park for agro-processing,” she said.
China’s Ambassador to Uganda, Zhang Lizhong, welcomed Uganda’s first shipment under the 2024 Chilli Protocol, signed during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which opened the Chinese spice market to Ugandan chilli.
Zhang announced that China has now granted zero-tariff treatment to 98 percent of taxable Ugandan exports.
‘Uganda now has full access to the Chinese market for chilli. We encourage farmers to increase production because demand is high,’ he added.
Luo Heng, Chairman of the China-Uganda Agricultural Industrial Park, applauded Busoga farmers for supplying more than 90 percent of the chilli in the inaugural export.
He outlined new investments aimed at strengthening agro-processing and boosting Uganda’s export capacity.
‘We shall establish pineapple processing plant by Linyi Qiwei Canned Food Co. (De Shi Bo Ge) and Shs 544b ($150m) investment by Little Giants Animal Husbandry in the egg value chain,” he revealed.
Anthony Mula, Director General of the Busoga Consortium for Development, said the chilli initiative is expected to raise incomes, create jobs and position Busoga as a leading contributor to Uganda’s growing agro-export sector.
He said chilli has become Busoga’s new cash crop, replacing sugarcane, which has suffered from volatile prices.
‘With the next planting season set for February, farmers in Busoga are gearing up to expand production as chilli continues to rise as a dependable commercial crop,’ he said.
The chilli project targets 500 acres, expected to yield over 1,500 tonnes of dried chilli annually, with an estimated export value of $300 million (about Shs1.097 trillion). Chinese experts project that farmers can earn more than Shs15 million per acre under a guaranteed price system.