Uganda: New hot pepper facility provides new markets for growers

A new hot pepper processing facility has opened in Entebbe, Uganda, targeting northern growers for supplies. This will ensure new market opportunities for growers in the North, who will be expected to cultivate and dry the pepper to sell it to the company for processing. Farmers will be brought into the project via the North East Chilli Producers Association.

According to NECPA Chairperson Helen Acham, the association has over 466 associations of pepper producers, with each group comprising of about 13-60 members.

“We hope the plant [Arilio] will help us provide the market for the farmers in the near future. Market for our product is a key issue,” Acham said.

Ohisalo says they are likely to buy pepper at Shs 7, 000 ($2.63 US) a kilogram from NECPA. But NECPA buys from farmers who are not in the groups at a farm-gate price of Shs 5,500 per kilogram. Group members earn Shs 6,000 per kilo.

The end result will be exported to the US as well as certain EU markets, such as Finland.

Source: observer.ug