The Uganda National Farmers’ Federation (UNFFE) hosted a delegation from the United Arab Emirates at the agricultural show grounds in Jinja yesterday, July 30, 2025, led by Uganda’s Ambassador to the UAE, H.E. Kibedi Zaake.
The ambassador revealed that the delegates were contacted through the Government of Uganda’s Economic Development and Diplomacy program.
According to Kibedi, “Under this program, we are promoting National Development plan IV priorities, commonly referred to as ATMS, namely Agro-industrialization, Tourism, Mining, Science, and Technology. We saw no better opportunity than the National Agricultural Show, which fits perfectly into agro-industry, where farmers from across the country gather to showcase their products and technologies.”
The National Development Plan IV seeks to raise the average monthly nominal household income and the GDP growth rate by the fiscal year 2029/2030. This was recently launched by the President of Uganda H.E Yoweri Museveni during a state of the nation address on June 5, 2025 at Kololo Independence grounds.
He added, “The companies from UAE are here to see which opportunities that are in this sector. We hope that they are shown whatever is being done in Uganda’s agricultural sector at this National agricultural show to be able to find possible areas of collaboration.”
The Ambassador noted that the UAE has become a leading market destination for Ugandan products, with 50% being agricultural products. “We aim to increase the percentage of agricultural products, as it can significantly impact the majority of our citizens. Unlike Europe, where export regulations are stringent, the UAE focuses on two key aspects namely quality and quantity. Everything grown in Uganda has a market in the UAE, which hosts over 200 nationalities, ensuring that every edible product has a potential consumer.”
Peter Kisambira, Programs Manager and Show Manager at UNFFE, emphasized the practical nature of the National Agricultural Show.
“This show allows farmers to see firsthand what various companies are promoting. For fertilizers, demonstration gardens showcase the responsive plants. For seeds, farmers can observe the performance in the garden. For livestock, farmers witness the productivity of the animals.”
He explains that, “This is the only agricultural show where everything is demonstrated live, unlike other shows where participants merely view plants on screens. 80% of the exhibitors are farmer groups, enabling farmers to teach and support one another in the agricultural sector.”
