President Museveni Seeking Vietnamese Help To Add Value To Agricultural Products In Uganda

While in Vietnam, President Museveni asked the country’s government to collaborate with Uganda in research and value addition. He said this will enhance the reap both countries will get from agriculture.

The president also hinted on the fact that billions of people are benefiting big from the agricultural sector in food security and income generation.

He noted that in the past, countries especially from Africa produced raw materials which benefited other countries. Museveni gave an example of the cotton grown in Uganda, Egypt, Ghana and sold to the British who later became biggest producers of textiles.

According to Museveni, the same should change with coffee because coffee-producing countries are getting little from their sweat.

“For instance, Vietnam and Uganda are producing coffee. The value of coffee is 460 billion dollars, but all the coffee-producing countries-Uganda, Vietnam, Colombia, Brazil, are earning 25 billion dollars from the 460 billion. Then Africa earns only 2.5 billion dollars. This is criminal,” Museveni said.

President Museveni made these remarks while visiting Vietnam’s  Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

He also called for technical assistance on how to successfully grow rice whiteout impacting the environment like it is in Uganda.

“Our people eat rice but we don’t grow enough of it. And the one we grow is causing me a lot of problems because it is grown in wetlands. What they call wetlands in Uganda are actually not wetlands but tributaries of river Nile and when you grow rice there, you cause environmental problems,” he said.

He said Uganda will send experts to one of the world’s leading rice-producing and exporting countries to acquire more knowledge on the matter.

In the president’s company was his Minister for  Agriculture, Frank Tumwebaze, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi (ICT & National Guidance). Also, Matia Kasaija (Finance) and Gen Jeje Odongo (Foreign Affairs) were present among others.

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