Cabinet approves Shs2.6b grain policy

In Summary

Streamline. The policy will, among others, streamline the grain industry.

Kampala. Cabinet has finally passed the National Grain Policy, which if implemented, could restore sanity in the lucrative but under exploited grain sector.

Information from the Ministry of Trade indicates the grain sector continues to grapple with numerous challenges, including inadequate storage facilities, obsolete processing technology and poor distribution infrastructure, all resulting into poor quality grains and grains products.
A statement issued by ministry of Trade, early this week, said National Grain Policy, 2015 approved by the Cabinet seeks to improve supply of grain through adoption of good post-harvest handling practices, use of standard storage facilities as well as modern value addition facilities.

According to the statement, the grain sub-sector has tremendous potential for creating employment, foreign exchange earnings, let alone the capacity to attract profitable foreign investments.
“With the fast growing population in Uganda, regionally and internationally, urbanisation and advancement in industrialisation, the demand for grain as food for consumption, ingredients for manufacturing animal feeds and other industrial products is increasing,” State minister for Industry, Michael Werikhe, said in a statement.

Currently, the national standard storage facilities for maize can cater for only 550,000 metric tonnes out of 3.2 million of total production, according to ministry of Agriculture, 2014 projections.
And as a result of the inadequate storage facilities and poor post-harvest handling practices, the country is struggling to compete in the grain market provided by the likes of World Food Programme.

Handling grains
According to the policy, government will harness resources of both the public and private sector to increase infrastructure to handle grains.