Uganda earned over 22 million US Dollars in 2008 from organic products exports, said the National Organic Agricultural Movement of Uganda chief executive officer, Moses Muwanga.
The country has over 206'803 organic farmers with 38 exporters. Muwanga said farmers need to be motivated with new technologies and research to produce more because organic products are on demand.
Uganda exports organic fruits like oranges, mangoes and pineapples, vanilla, chillies, coffee and cotton. He said the organic products supply was still low because the country lacks a comprehensive organic policy.
Muwanga said the organic movement had formulated a national policy on organic products, which had been presented to the agriculture ministry, but was awaiting approval.
“We are in the process of formulating a national policy on organic products and by next financial year will have the bill in process,” Muwanga said during the East African Organic Conference at the Sheraton Hotel, in Kampala.
The conference has drawn participants from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania with the aim of promoting organic products. Participants from other countries in the region express the need to improve on the East African Organic Standards in order to improve on the production of organic products in the region.
Source: The New Vision, Friday, May 22, 2009
More information
Organic-World.Net: African Organic Conference in Uganda
Organic-World.Net: Uganda
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