Strengthening Uganda’s Avocado Exports: Hortifresh and EU Delegation Drive Strategic Collaboration for Growth
Hortifresh, alongside the EU Delegation Uganda, recently hosted an impactful meeting at the EU offices in Kampala. This gathering brought together representatives from across the avocado value chain, including members from avocado cooperatives, the Avocado Federation, Ministry of Trade’s Department of External Trade, Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Crop Inspection and Certification, avocado farmers, oil processors, MAERSK containers and sea freight logistics providers, NARO, Avocado Exporters, UAA and parliament of Uganda member of Agriculture committee.
The meeting focused on establishing synergies for avocado aggregation to ensure sufficient volumes for upcoming sea freight shipments to Europe and fostering collaboration across the entire avocado value chain. With the rising global demand for avocados, particularly in European markets, Uganda’s success hinges on streamlining and scaling production, ensuring quality compliance, and enhancing logistical efficiency. This effort is expected to create a reliable supply chain for European buyers, allowing Uganda to compete on a larger scale within international markets.
Another significant outcome of the meeting was the push for deeper collaboration among avocado cooperatives, processors, exporters, and logistics providers. This unified approach aims to enhance the competitiveness of Uganda’s avocado exports, supporting everyone from smallholder farmers to large-scale exporters. In addition, stakeholders discussed securing technical expertise and best practices through research from NARO to further improve production and quality for export.
Through these partnerships and an emphasis on quality and efficiency, Uganda is positioning itself to meet the demands of the competitive European avocado market. A strong, integrated value chain has the potential to create jobs, increase farmer incomes, and benefit the Ugandan economy broadly. This meeting laid the groundwork for growth and collaboration, setting Uganda’s avocado industry on a path to become a global market player. This collaboration promises positive outcomes for farmers, exporters, and logistics providers alike, and ultimately, for the Ugandan economy as a whole. One participant noted, “This is more than just about exporting avocados—it’s about building a sustainable, resilient industry that benefits everyone involved.”
Kevin Kusiima
