Busoga economic transformation to be driven by coffee and cocoa value addition

Alhaji Faruk Kirunda, the Special Presidential Assistant for Press and Mobilisation, has advocated for increased investment in coffee and cocoa value addition and agro-tourism to drive economic transformation in the Busoga region of Uganda.

Speaking at the inaugural Busoga Coffee and Cocoa Tourism Festival held at Jinja Showgrounds, Kirunda emphasized that these crops should be treated as complete value chains rather than mere agricultural commodities. He noted that opportunities for job creation and income growth exist across all stages, including production, aggregation, processing, packaging, branding, and export.

Kirunda urged stakeholders to move beyond the export of raw materials by expanding local manufacturing and processing. This shift is intended to help farmers and local enterprises capture a larger share of the value generated from their products while ensuring they can compete in domestic and international markets.