Thursday, July 7, 2016
Muhammad Majyambere, the Djibouti consul to Uganda, has said Djibouti has given Uganda $20m to help in the exportation of fruits and related products to the horn of Africa, urging farmers to benefit from the deal.
Majyambere made the remarks recently at Imperial Royale hotel after meeting members of the Federation of Associations of Uganda exporters [FAUEX] and the ministry of trade to discuss how Uganda can benefit from doing business with Djibouti.
“My government has set aside $100m specifically to import fruit products from within the region but we decided that Uganda gets part of this deal so that the farmers can benefit directly from this venture,” noted Majyambere.
Some of the fruits that Djibouti is eying include: mangoes, pineapples, jack fruit, pawpaws and bananas, among others. John Kavuma, the president of FAUEX, requested Djibouti to grant them free clearance for Ugandan exports under the COMESA trading arrangement and also assist them secure a permanent warehouse, where goods shall be traded.
Majyambere granted Kavuma his wish, saying: “You are free to visit the country and make arrangements to secure that warehouse so that it can work as a one-stop shop for all Ugandan imports into our country.” He said the country would make all the necessary arrangements to ensure that Ugandan products are secured into Djibouti.
Majyambere said because Djibouti was dry, they import all their pineapples and other fruit products from France. He pointed out that President Yoweri Museveni was invited to Djibouti in May to sign some trade and investment bilateral protocols but due to the swearing-in ceremony, he was represented by the vice president Edward Ssekandi.
Uganda has already been given the opportunity to export horticulture products to Djibouti under the COMESA trade arrangement. Kavuma said he was happy that Djibouti had opened up more space for Ugandan exports, urging businesses to take advantage of this opportunity.