LUWEERO — Vice President Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo has hailed Chinese investors at the China-Uganda Agricultural Industrial Park in Luweero District for advancing agro-industrialisation, creating jobs and providing a reliable market for locally produced agricultural products.
Alupo made the remarks on Thursday during a tour of the industrial park, where she inspected several investments, including a pineapple processing plant that employs more than 300 Ugandans.
During the visit, the Vice President was informed that the pineapple processing facility is operating at only half of its installed capacity due to an inadequate supply of raw pineapples from farmers.
She assured the investors that the government would work with farmers to increase pineapple production and guarantee a steady supply of raw materials to enable the factory to operate at full capacity.
“The pineapple processing plant is currently processing only three tonnes per day instead of its capacity of 600 tonnes. We shall mobilise our farmers to grow more pineapples so that the factory can operate at full capacity,” Alupo said.
The investors, represented by the Chairman of the China-Uganda Agricultural Industrial Park, Mr. Luo Heng, highlighted a number of challenges affecting their operations, including inadequate infrastructure, poor access roads and the need for additional tax incentives.
In response, Alupo pledged to engage the relevant government agencies to address the concerns within a reasonable timeframe.
State Minister for Luweero and Rwenzori, Hon. Alice Kaboyo, said residents of Greater Luweero appreciate the industrial park for creating employment opportunities and improving household incomes.
“The people of Bulemeezi, especially the veterans, are happy with this investment. We have more than 500 industries in this region and we welcome more because of our strategic location and reliable water supply,” Kaboyo said.
Luweero District LC5 Chairperson Erasito Kibirango said the district continues to face a shortage of road construction and maintenance equipment, leaving many feeder roads in poor condition.
He appealed to the government to provide an additional road unit, noting that poor road infrastructure could negatively affect agricultural production and the transportation of goods.
“We need government intervention so that production is not affected. We requested the President during his recent visit to provide us with another road unit because Luweero has 18 sub-counties and town councils, yet we only have one grader,” Kibirango said.
Mr. Luo Heng, Chairman of Kehong Uganda Industrial Development Limited, said the industrial park has made significant progress over the past decade with the continued support of the Ugandan government.
He revealed that the first phase of development has been completed across the park’s 947-acre core site, with several agricultural and agro-industrial projects now fully operational.
“After a decade of dedicated effort, the first phase of development has been completed across the park’s 947-acre core site. Today, commercial layer farming, contract chilli production, pineapple processing and the promotion of improved rice varieties are fully operational, marking the successful transformation of the park from vision to reality,” Luo said.
He added that in 2017, the park was recognised as one of China’s first Overseas Agricultural Cooperation Demonstration Zones.
Luo appealed to the government to allocate between 30 and 50 acres of land at Namanve Industrial Park on preferential terms to establish the company’s headquarters, a coffee and chilli processing centre, and a regional logistics and distribution hub.
“This investment will further strengthen Uganda’s agricultural value chains, expand export capacity and create more employment opportunities,” he said.
The investors also requested government support to upgrade both the internal road network within the industrial park and the external access roads to improve transport connectivity, logistics efficiency and future industrial expansion.
They further appealed to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to construct a dedicated power transmission line linking Kasana Substation to the industrial park, as well as a dedicated substation within the facility.
The China-Uganda Agricultural Industrial Park hosts several agricultural and agro-processing enterprises, including a pineapple processing plant, a chilli processing facility, improved rice seed production and a large-scale poultry farm that produces more than 50,000 trays of eggs every day.
