The Uganda Export Promotion Board
Tel: +256 414 230 250 / 230 233
Email: helpdesk@ugandaexportsonline.com | Web: www.ugandaexportsonline.com
 Florence Kata Executive Director |  UEPB: Export Promotions Board to train traders Lack of awareness of trade procedures at border points among small scale traders is to blame for the low exports.This is according to the executive director of the Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB) Elly Twineyo Kamugisha, who was addressing members of the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association (USSIA) in Kampala.“Many lack the information on cross border trade like taxes .They still pay taxes on exports and yet they are Zero rated, but because they are exporting informally ,they end up paying these fees to people who pose as officials from the Tax Authority,” said Kamugisha. He blames the problem partly on the lack of human resource and disorganization within the export promotions office which made it hard for them to reach out to small scale traders. Kamugisha adds they have embarked on a mass sensitize exercise of small scale industries in partnership with USSIA on the various issues regarding trade at borders like standards, taxes, product development. Read more ▪ UPEB: Coffee exports fall as dollar gains Records show that there was a drop both in volume and value of Uganda’s coffee exports, a time when the dollar is strengthening.The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) report showed that the country exported 290,475 60-kg bags of coffee down from 310,829 exported.The report further showed, the coffee, volume exported earned the country $36.90 million (about Shs107 billion) while, for the coffee, $39.70 million (about Shs115 billion) was earned indicating a 7.5 per cent fall in value.Experts say this should have been the time for the country to cash in on the strong dollar which was not the case.In an interview with Daily Monitor, Uganda Export Promotion Board executive director Emmanuel Mutahunga said: “Exporters would be earning a lot but because they have to convert the earning to purchase the imported inputs, it turns out to be more costly.”Read more ▪ UEPB: Demand for Uganda’s dairy products grows Uganda must invest in technology and research to add value to dairy products in order to tap into growing regional demand, according to an official from Uganda Export Promotions Board.Speaking in an interview Mr Moses Mabala a trade officer at the UEPB said: “There is increasing demand for Uganda’s dairy products within East Africa. With increased production of quality products, we shall be able to exploit these markets”.Keys markets, according to Mr Mabala include Kenya, Sudan (North & South), DR Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. According to data from UEPB, Uganda exports about 73 per cent of its milk and cream products to Kenya. For instance, the country exported $8.9m (Shs25.8b) worth of milk products to Kenya. Read more ▪ UEPB: 82 Ugandan companies enter EAC market Eighty-two new small to medium Ugandan companies have managed to break into the East African market, according to the Uganda Exports Promotions Board (UEPB).Of these, 35 went to Kenya, 21 to Rwanda, 17 to Burundi and nine to Tanzania.The countries have exported over $15m (sh40b) worth of goods. These join the traditional big Ugandan firms, which have been exporting to the region for long, according to the board.The entry into the regional market of these small companies that had previously been unable to is a boost to Uganda’s regional trade.Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde conferred certificates to the emerging group of exporters and urged them to pay attention to the quality and safety of products as they penetrate previously tough markets such as Kenya. Kyambadde stressed the need for innovation as key to the product’s global; competitiveness.“We can no longer afford to continue producing products and services using yesterday’s methods and technologies, some of which are not environmentally friendly,” Kyambadde said.The new manufacturers are beneficiaries of a partnership between Uganda and Ireland under a programme called Traidlinks. Read more ▪ UEPB: Hot pepper exporters impose temporal ban Hot pepper dealers have suspended exports to European markets following an attack by false codling moth on pepper (capsicum), fresh fruit and flowers.Speaking about the self-imposed suspension, Daniel Karibwije, the Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB) director trade promotions and public relations noted that the industry would emerge stronger and more competitive.“The UEPB is working closely with the ministry of agriculture and that of trade to sensitize 60,000 farmers and export houses to comply with the phytosanitary certification requirements,” Kariwije told the New Vision in a telephone interview. Karibwije noted that government has designed a program to train farmers and export houses on how to prevent and detect the moth. The false codling moth is hard to detect as its larvae grow within fresh fruit and flowers. Read more ▪ UEPB: Tea exporters urged to exploit new market opportunities, experts say Analysts have advised Uganda’s tea exporters to directly export the commodity to emerging markets globally to increase revenue. Currently, about 97 per cent of all the tea produced in Uganda is exported and sold through the Mombasa tea auction and branded as Kenyan.Experts say this has stifled Uganda as the second biggest producer of tea in Eastern Africa but also at the auction, the country loses out on the prime prices. In an interview with Prosper magazine, UEPB’s export promotion officer, Mr Moses Mabala, shares: “We are seeing emerging markets for Ugandan tea from countries like Russia, Pakistan and the Middle East.”A proxy take on price as a basis for export potential shows that countries such as Belarus, Qatar, Hong Kong, Canada, and France offer better prices for the same unit of tea exported to Kenya. Read more ▪ UEPB: Global prospects good for soybean farmers Ugandan soybean farmers stand a chance to cash in on the increasing global demand for the commodity only if they improve their crop varieties.Although the country’s soybean export volumes have dropped by 25 per cent from 2,751 tonnes to 2,056 tonnes, there is growing demand for the commodity globally. World soy bean imports have reached $62.4 billion (Shs162.2 trillion), indicating a 15 per cent annual trend when it stood at $36.3 billion (Shs94.3 trillion). China is the biggest importer of this commodity, importing soybeans worth $37.9 billion (Shs98.5 trillion) according to global statistics.Germany and Mexico follow the import queue at $2.09 billion (Shs5.4 trillion) and Mexico $2.06 billion, (Shs5.3 trillion) respectively.In an interview with Prosper magazine, Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB) export officer, Mr Moses Mabala, shares: “China’s performance as the largest and fastest growing import market of soybean. Read more ▪ UEPB: Uganda, Egypt trade ties to increase as stability returns Uganda’s ties with Egypt, one of its main export markets in the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (Comesa) region, are still slow despite the return of relative political stability.However, experts are optimistic that trade between the two countries will resume though it will take a bit of time.Uganda was exporting goods worth $5.8 million (Shs15.1 billion) to Egypt before the political revolts that saw hundreds of people die and businesses paralysed.Statistics also show that, Uganda’s exports to the North African state fell to $780,000 (Shs2 billion), the figure further dropped to $168,000 (Shs440 million).Talking to Daily Monitor, Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) trade officer Moses Mabala said: “We have seen the demand for imports by Egypt from Uganda drop because of the instabilities. Read more ▪ UEPB: Growing demand drives vanilla prices up Farmers who remained in vanilla growing after the 2005 bust are now smiling their way to the banks as prices go up.A kilogramme of green vanilla beans now goes for Shs25,000 at the farm gate price, up from the Shs15,000 it sold the same period last year.About nine years ago, the price of vanilla which had reached Shs100,000 for a kilogramme of green beans nose dived to almost Shs1,000.This left farmers who had invested in the commodity frustrated as hundreds were forced to abandon the crop.However, the drift is gradually changing for those who stayed in the business as prices have continued to go up.Players in the industry attribute the price rise to increasing demand for the commodity both at the local and international markets. In an interview with Prosper magazine Uganda Export Promotion Board trade officer, Mr Moses Mabala, shares: “We are seeing international demand for vanilla picking up from the United States of America, German and Japan.” Read more ▪ UEPB: Uganda’s bean exports grow as markets expand Beans exports to different destinations have experienced a tremendous growth of 148 per cent, a scenario projected to boost local production according to experts.Between 2012 and 2013, revenue collected from the beans exports to the DRC according to market information from the Uganda Export Promotion Board earned the country $1.15 million (Shs3 billion) out of the total $1.42 million (Shs3.7 billion) exports.“This performance saw DRC Congo take the lion’s share of about 75.6 per cent of the country’s exports,” Mr Moses Mabala, the trade promotion officer at UEPB noted.Mr Mabala attributes this performance to a number of reasons mainly DR Congo’s proximity to Uganda and less restriction as they consume the species mainly grown in Uganda like kidney beans. Read more ▪ UEPB: Business challenges affect global appeal for Uganda’s exports Uganda’s exports to the regional countries grew by eight per cent in the previous year, according to Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) statistics.The UEPB data further indicates that by close of last year, Uganda’s total exports to the East African Community (EAC) stood at $633 million compared to $581.4 million in 2012, translating into a growth of eight per cent.This is a shift that has been happening over the years, implying that Uganda can do more business with its regional neighbours than lucrative markets such as the European Union nations. As a result of the surge in volume of trade between Uganda and its neighbours, total export to EU took a slight tumble. According to UEPB statistics, the country’s total export to Europe hit $613 million (about Shs1.6 trillion) although it minimally dropped by two per cent by close of 2013.Meanwhile, the country’s exports to China continue to gain momentum with the figures reaching $65.3 million (about Shs171 billion) by close of the previous year. Exports to US hover at $37 million (about Shs97 billion).Read more ▪ Morocco, South Korea new markets for Uganda’s exports Morocco and South Korea are the emerging export destinations for the country’s major cash crops, the Uganda Export Promotion Board records, have shown. Speaking in an interview, Mr Moses Mabala, the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) trade promotion officer, said the rate at which the North African country (Morocco) values Uganda’s agricultural export, is comparable to none at the moment.Similarly, South Korea’s demand for Uganda’s export is growing at an overwhelming rate—much faster than the traditional export destination such as the United Kingdom, US and China. He said: “At the moment, Morocco and South Korea are our fastest growing export markets. This is an indication of growing demand for Uganda’s exports to the two countries.” Read more ▪  Women entrepreneurs meet In kampala on procurement marketsWomen entrepreneurs and representatives of trade support institutions (TSIs), government and multinationals from the Africa region are congregating in Kampala, Uganda, to learn about opportunities for women to access procurement markets.Uganda’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Amelia Kyambadde opened the workshop. The event is organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC), in collaboration with the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC), under the umbrella of the Global Platform for Action on Sourcing from Women Vendors. Read more ▪  Uganda exports to hit sh31 trillion by 2017 THE Uganda Export Promotion Board is reviewing the 2008-2012 National Export Strategy (NES) to set new targets on export earnings, export per capita levels and export to gross domestic product with the aim of doubling Uganda’s exports to about $12b (sh31 trillion) by 2017, the deputy executive director has said. In an exclusive interview with New Vision recently, William Babigumira, said the realised figure ($4.2b), which includes goods, services and informal crossborder trade) of 2012 is not far off from the ambitious set targets $5b (sh29 trillion) for 2008-2012. ▪  UEPB: Preferential Tax Rates a Good Incentive for Local Exporters Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) is encouraging local exporters to take advantage of the Preferential Trade Agreements that give opportunities to traders and allow them to access regional and international markets. However, the board says exporters must acquire specific documents and meet certain trade terms, to benefit from preferential tax rates. Uganda is party to COMESA, ECOWAS, EAC, AGOA and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAS) which covers 7 European Union states. According to Noreen Kamoti, Acting Director Management Information Systems Division at the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB), exports have to meet tough standards to compete on these market regimes Read me ▪  Uganda exports hit six trillion Uganda’s exports reached $2.3b (5.9 trillion) last year, up from $2.1b (sh5.4 trillion) in 2011, the executive director of the Uganda Export Promotion Board has said. Appearing before Parliament‘s committee on tourism, trade and industry on Tuesday to discuss the tourism and trade ministerial policy statement for financial year 2013/14, Florence Kata said non-traditional exports of mainly maize, rice, sugar and mineral water earned the country $1.9b (sh4.8 trillion) in 2012 from $1.4b (sh3.6 trillion) in 2011. Top Uganda export markets, she said, include France for cotton and oil seeds, Sudan, Congo, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Rwanda and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) partner states. Read more ▪ |  |