Summary:
- Supported by partners like Technoserve in the Horticulture Acceleration Project (HortiMap), Chemiphar is conducting comprehensive training sessions for farmer groups. These sessions focus on refining planting and harvesting techniques to yield superior produce that meets rigorous international market criteria.
KABALE: Chemiphar Laboratory, an internationally accredited agricultural inputs analytical laboratory and inspection company with support from the Embassy of the Netherlands has partnered with farmers from the Kigezi and Ankole regions to enhance the quality standards of fruits and vegetables, enabling them to effectively compete in the international market.
Supported by partners like Technoserve in the Horticulture Acceleration Project (HortiMap), Chemiphar is conducting comprehensive training sessions for farmer groups. These sessions focus on refining planting and harvesting techniques to yield superior produce that meets rigorous international market criteria.
Nicholas Orapa, Head of Inspection and Seed Testing at Chemiphar Laboratory, states that the partnership with farmers is being implemented in the districts of Kanungu, Kisoro, Kabale, Rukiga, Rubanda, Ntungamo, and Rwampara in western Uganda. The initiative targets farmers cultivating avocados, eggplants, onions, hot peppers, pineapples, cabbages, and other fruits and vegetables.
Orapa reveals that this intervention stems from a joint survey conducted by the organizations and the embassy. The findings illuminated a prevalent issue: many farmers in the target districts were marketing substandard products that fell short of global quality benchmarks.
He elaborates on the multifaceted defects observed in the fruits and vegetables sold by these farmers, including physical, mechanical, entomological, pathological, external, internal, and physiological flaws. Such deficiencies inevitably translate to financial losses for the farmers. Through this concerted effort, tailored for farmer groups, knowledge dissemination becomes a pivotal tool in advocating for adherence to quality standards.
CUE IN ORAPA….ON PARTNERED…….ENG//
Farmers who include Judith Komugisha, a tomato and eggplant farmer from Rwampara district, Medard Mataro, specializing in cabbage farming in Rubanda district, and Wilson Aine, a pineapple cultivator hailing from Ntungamo district acknowledge the limitations of their traditional agricultural practices. Such methods have led to decreased selling prices and a noticeable lack of interest from buyers seeking to export products beyond Uganda.
CUE IN FARMERS…ON CHALLENGES……RR//.
