Africa-Press – Uganda. Stakeholders in the horticulture sector have asked that government takes action against cartels and brokers that are increasingly controlling the sector’s marketing chain.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the national horticulture convention at Kampala Serena Hotel on Wednesday, Juliet Kyokunda, the Country Director Techno Serve Uganda Juliet Kyokunda said cartels in the horticulture sector control prices and markets consequently hiking prices for consumers and yet give lower prices to the farmers.
“There are many cartels in this sector. These want to own the sector, farmers, produce and everything. These cant allow the sector to thrive if they are still here,” Kyokunda said.
“We are requesting that we have the model of having clusters and bringing the private sector together to enable it to thrive.
Kyokunda asked government, through the Ministry of Agriculture to spearhead reforms in the horticulture sector intended to rid it of cartels whom she said are making it difficult for farmers to benefit from their own produce.
“We need to get rid of these cartels so that the sector thrives.”
According to Kyokunda, the convention is not just a gathering but a celebration of innovation, partnerships and progress they have made as part of the Horticulture Market Acceleration Program(HortiMAP), a four-year project implemented by TechnoServe Uganda and funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands aimed at improving farmer livelihoods, boost household nutrition, and create jobs in Uganda’s horticulture sector.
She said the convention will also be platform for stakeholders to discuss challenges facing the sector and how to deal with them.
Peter Dhamuzungu, the principal agricultural officer-in-charge of cash crops at the Agriculture ministry said the players in the horticulture sector ought to be clear on who the cartels are.
“Let them tell us who the cartels are so we can exercise the higher hand of the law. In business we want a leveled ground for every person to work within the available means of operation we have. They should tell us who the cartels are so we can support them,” Dhamuzungu said.
He noted that as a ministry, they are looking at having a comprehensive horticulture strategy including policies which can streamline further the sector.
“With each stakeholder’s role defined and improved regulations in the sector, we hope we can avert the situation and operations are smooth.”
Dhamuzungu mentioned the lack coordination characterizing the sector which he said is a big challenge, noting that regulations will help deal with this issue.
“Stakeholders are uncoordinated in this sector but there are also a number of counterfeits in terms of agricultural inputs which are also a challenge. There are also higher incidences of pests and diseases which lead to a higher number of interceptions which affects our export market. If they are intercepting a lot of our exports, then it has an effect on our export earnings. In order to address these challenges, one of the ministry’s efforts to streamline the sector is through a policy environment that can support and guide stakeholders to avert the situation but also organize the sector in a more better way.”
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