{UAH} Uganda: Govt Gives Chinese Firm 2,500 Acres in Luweero for Farming

Uganda: Govt Gives Chinese Firm 2,500 Acres in Luweero for Farming
Tagged:
East AfricaLand and Rural IssuesUganda
Tweet
Share
Google+
By Benon Herbert Oluka
First, they sold us their made-in-China goods; then they came to build our roads; then they rode on the roads into our shops, hotels and supermarkets; and now the Chinese are in Uganda's gardens growing food to sell abroad.

The latest evidence that China is digging in came last Tuesday in Ngaaju-Ndibilungi village, Butambala sub-county in Luweero district, where the government has given Ke-Hong Group 2,500 acres for agricultural production.

And the seal of approval couldn't have come from any higher: President Yoweri Museveni and his deputy Edward Ssekandi travelled to rural Luweero to commission the China-Uganda Agricultural Industrial Park.

The multi-billion shilling project will involve rice farming, poultry, horticulture, and fish farming, according to agriculture minister Tress Bucyanayandi.

The minister said the project will also include agribusiness, value addition, use of renewable energy and agro-machinery. Bucyanayandi said negotiations between Ugandan officials, who included Ssekandi and the presidential advisor on security, Gen (rtd) Caleb Akandwanaho a.k.a Salim Saleh, began in 2012, after a group of investors from China's Sichuan province visited the country.

"The overall goal of the project is to use Chinese technology... to promote investment in Uganda by attracting investors from Sichuan province," he said.

Museveni said that while Uganda's major urban areas are largely designed as trading towns, the project is taking to Luweero district the concept of "an agricultural park". With palpable pride, Museveni said the park would ensure that "what was a forest is going to turn into a city for agricultural produce and factories".

"This is an important instrument for transforming the community," Museveni said, before urging locals to take advantage of the opportunity and not steal from the Chinese investors.

According to Luo Heng, the lead investor for Ke-Hong Group, the total investment that the Chinese company will inject into the project is $220 million (about Shs 726 billion).

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com