Jane Nalunga, the Executive Director, SEATINI noted during the project launch that there are wide concerns in the sub-region on the quality of maize and maize products which has seen some being rejected internally and the international markets.
Maize value chain actors in Gulu and Amuru Districts have been urged to comply with maize quality standards to penetrate the export markets in the neighbouring South Sudan and beyond.
The call comes following a baseline survey report released Friday in Gulu City that reveals up to 70 percent of farmers in the two selected districts lack knowledge of the market benefits such as better pricing and market access from complying with quality standards.
The finding was released Friday during the launch of the Strengthening the maize value chain’s Compliance and competitiveness project in the Elegu market in Amuru district and Gulu district by the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI).
Jane Nalunga, the Executive Director, SEATINI noted during the project launch that there are wide concerns in the sub-region on the quality of maize and maize products which has seen some being rejected internally and in the international markets.
Nalunga said the burden remains persistent due to limited awareness of standards and how to comply with standards by the various maize value chain actors including farmers, millers, middlemen and traders.
//Cue in: “The broad finding…
Cue out:…millers don’t know.”//
Nalunga said through the six months project, they will offer training to the various maize value chain actors mostly targeting trainers of trainers, leadership of farmers cooperatives, and maize processors while working in collaboration with Uthe ganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS).
She also noted that though the initiative, they will work closely with two selected sub-counties in the project areas to enact bylaws that prohibit practices that compromise the quality of maize which ultimately affects markets and prices.
//Cue in: “And we are…
Cue out:… such a punishment."//
She however encouraged farmers to work in groups in cooperatives where they can aggregate their produce and be able to get a fair price.
Anna Nambooze, the Country Director of Uganda and South Sudan TradeMark Africa noted that maize value chain actors in the selected two districts can significantly boost the export volumes of maize to the international markets if they comply with quality standards.
Nambooze said TradeMark Africa has partnered with SEATINI in the project to implement the best practices of the standards that meet the international markets which ultimately results in increasing volumes of exports across the borders.
//Cue in: “So in line…
Cue out:…can be attained.”//
Amuru Resident District Commissioner Godfrey Osborn Oceng however highlighted that poor post-harvest handling remains the biggest hurdle for many maize farmers in the district which affects the quality of maize they take to the market.
Oceng noted that there is a need to invest in creating awareness of the best post-harvest handling practices to help farmers minimize losses and quality of their produce limiting their chances of penetrating the export market.
//Cue in: “People have been…
Cue out:..chain is concerned.”//
Katende Tebuseeke Erison, an agronomist consultant recommended the resolve by various stakeholders to promote educational campaigns to inform farmers about the benefits of complying with quality standards to improve market access and pricing.
Over a hundred maize value chain actors attended the project launch on Friday but raised critical concerns about their continued failures to meet the required standards citing among others limited capacity by UNBS to enforce quality compliance, limited extension services and lack of access to crucial information regarding standards.
Maize remains one of the widely grown temporary crops in the Acholi Sub-region and the country at large as many farmers grow them for staple food contributing to food security and a source of livelihood.
While maize and maize products have become increasingly important in the export market adherence to quality has affected the maize value chain actors from easily penetrating the market segments in the East African Community. Instance in June 2023, over 1,700 tonnes of Ugandan maize were rejected by South Sudan authorities after they were found to contain high levels of aflatoxins known to cause cancer in humans and are produced by moulds that flourish in poorly stored grains.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the total production of maize in the country in the agricultural year 2020 was estimated to be approximately 3.5 million metric tonnes from an estimated planted area of approximately 2.0 million hectares (ha).