In brief
Uganda’s government highlighted its participation in China’s biannual China Import and Export Fair, known as the Canton Fair, as a route to keep more of its agricultural export earnings within the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that 10 Ugandan companies — 5 coffee, 2 shea butter, 3 crafts — exhibited there, and officials emphasized the focus on value addition and domestic processing. However, the statement did not detail how the fair will translate into concrete local projects or a timeline for new jobs.
KAMPALA, Nov. 9 – Uganda's government said its recent participation in the China Import and Export Fair, known as the Canton Fair, will help the country retain more export earnings, create jobs and raise farmers and cooperatives' incomes by boosting local processing and packaging of agricultural goods.
The statement, issued by Uganda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs late Sunday, a few days after the fair ended, emphasized that Uganda had ten exhibitors at the event, including five coffee companies, two shea butter producers, and three craft businesses.
Judyth Nsababera, head of Uganda's Consulate in Guangzhou, said the primary aim was to retain more value domestically rather than exporting raw materials and importing finished products.
Our participation was more than exhibiting products. It was about value addition, value retention, and prosperity along the value chain, from farmer to buyer.
The government said that enhancing local processing and packaging would help retain a greater share of export earnings within Uganda, generating additional employment opportunities and improving incomes for farmers and cooperatives.
Uganda has long sought to move up the value chain for products such as coffee and shea butter, which have traditionally been exported as raw commodities to China, where they are processed and sold as finished goods.
While the statement highlighted the government's objectives, it did not specify how Uganda plans to translate the fair’s opportunities into concrete local processing projects or the timeline for creating new jobs.
Uncertainties remain regarding the specific mechanisms Uganda will use to increase local value addition, the extent to which the fair has already impacted domestic processing activities, and when the anticipated job creation and income gains for farmers will materialize.
