UGANDA, Entebbe | Real Muloodi News | The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Hon Matia Kasaija, commended real muloodi Hamis Kiggundu (Ham) for establishing a complete integrated food processing plant in Entebbe in a visit to the facility late last year.
During the September 28, 2022, visit to Ham Agro-Processing Industries in the Akright Estate along Entebbe Road, Minister Kasaija thanked Ham for investing a substantial amount of money in the construction of the plant and praised the idea of building more specialised processing plants in the major agricultural zones across the country.
“He [Ham] is outing up silos, processing plants, and bringing up some ecosystems to make the process very green. He has a showroom where the products he produces that have added value will be showcased. It’s a commendable job, and if I can have more 20-30 Ugandans doing a similar thing around the country, then the future will be very bright,” Kasaija said.
Minister Kasaija became the second minister to visit Ham Agro-Processing Industries within five months.
In April last year, the Minister of State for Investments, Evelyn Anite, also lauded Ham for creating jobs and opportunities for young people through Ham Agro-Processing Industries.
“Thank you, Ham, for investing in Uganda & for creating jobs. It was nice listening to a young and focused young Ugandan investor. As Government, we promise to support the post-harvest handling for export & the entire project,” Anite said.
Ham says the vast complex in Entebbe cost USh 440 billion to build and announced plans to establish a total of 10 specialized food processing plants in the major agricultural zones across the country.
The businessman adds that his main goal is to promote agro value addition, mainly through assessing, sorting, quality analysis, managing, packaging, and marketing local produce domestically, regionally, and internationally.
The plant processes and adds value to various crops from across the board, ranging from fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other plants for local consumption and export.
Examples of Ham’s plans include milk and meat processing units in Mbarara and Karamoja subregions, maize and sugar mills in the Hoima Masindi region, and another food processing plant in West Nile and the North, Eastern, and Central.
“This will create more employment opportunities and boost incomes for communities across the country while boosting production and foreign exchange earnings as all the excess produce will be value-added first and then exported,” said Ham.
Uganda has ten agro-ecological zones comprising North-Eastern Dry lands; North-Eastern Savannah Grasslands; North-Western Savannah Grasslands; Parra Savannahs; Kyoga Plains; Lake Victoria Crescent; Western Savannah Grasslands; Pastoral Rangelands; South-western Farmlands; and the Highland Ranges.
Ham’s integrated agro-processing industrial park is a dedicated cluster of large, medium, and small-scale food processing units.
President Yoweri Museveni has previously praised the businessman for investing his accumulated wealth into the Ugandan economy instead of becoming an importer, unlike most other Kampala businessmen.
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