Uganda builds US$40,000 sweet potato processing facility in Serere
The facility is expected to process one tonne of fresh roots into puree per hour.
UGANDA – A new sweet potato processing facility, valued at US$40,000 (UGX 148.5 million), will be built in Kyere Town Council, Serere District, to help farmers in the Teso sub-region add value to their produce and access commercial markets, according to New Vision.
The Soroti Sweet Potato Producers and Processors Association (SOSPPA) will spearhead the project, with financing from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).
The project will receive technical support from the International Potato Centre (CIP) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, while the World Bank will oversee the project.
Joseph Okalebo, the SOSPPA coordinator, said the facility will focus on processing orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties, including Ejumula, Naspot 8, Naspot 10, Naspot 13, Narospot 7 and Tanzania, into products such as puree, pasta and spaghetti. The facility is expected to process one tonne of fresh roots into puree per hour.
“We will be processing sweet potato into puree, pasta, and spaghetti, ensuring there is a market for our product, especially since importing fresh roots poses a problem due to its bulk,” Okalebo said.
The four-year project aims to benefit about 20,000 farmers organized into 100 groups, as well as 3,000 schoolchildren in six districts of Teso: Serere, Ngora, Amuria, Katakwi, Soroti and Bukedea. SOSPPA currently has more than 2,090 farmers organized into 97 groups across the six districts, the association said.
Dr Fredrick Kobina Ebo Grant, Uganda country manager and nutrition scientist at CIP, said they expect to establish the facility by the end of the year, with contractor advertisements expected shortly. He added that local farmers would receive training in accessing clean planting materials and cultivating crops using climate-smart practices.
Zebulon Ejomu, a sweet potato farmer from Serere district, welcomed the project, noting that farmers had previously struggled with agronomic practices and lacked knowledge of value addition, limiting them to selling sweet potato roots in local markets.
The project will be of great value to the Teso sub-region, home to approximately 2.5 million people, which faces economic challenges, with more than 53% of the population living in extreme poverty, according to New Vision.
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