One of the highlights from the 2022 Harvest Money Expo was the number of farmers and other players who exhibited locally value added products. Value ad-
edition improves a farmer’s earnings by over 50%. Almost every food produced in Uganda can be processed into several other products. This is right from the cash crops and all food crops.
For example, if a farmer sells a raw bunch of banana, he earns between sh5,000 and sh10,000 on the farm.

However, if the same bunch of banana is processed into juice or wine, it can fetch as much as sh20,000 or even more. One of the biggest challenges to value addition in Uganda is lack of knowledge and exposure.

Most of the value adding exhibitors talked of a big struggle to reach where they are today. For example, a lack of funding, long and tedious registration process of their products. This process should be eased. We must invest heavily in the upper value chain if we are to improve value addition in the country.

The many industrial parks that are coming up in different regions must be made to work for the benefit of the areas where they are located and the country at large.