Agricultural products to be branded #UGANDA

With time, Uganda's agricultural products that get
to the shelves in Europe, and other international
markets, will have a tag that shows their origin.
By so doing, Uganda's visibility on the
international markets will be broadened, and that
could link the farmers to bigger traders abroad.
But before any of this can happen, Ugandan
farmers need to know and appreciate what the
Geographical Indications Act 2013, which the
president assented to this month, is all about.
Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) is
responsible for promoting the understanding of
this law. The body says it will target farmers,
SMEs, processors, traders and exporters.
Bemanya Twebaze, the Registrar General at
URSB, said Uganda was losing a lot of money
because its products were not branded. He said
other traders were taking the credit while the
farmers were not earning adequately for their
sweat.
"Ugandan products have lost their identity on
international markets, and sold cheaply yet we
have unique products like high-quality cotton and
simsim in northern Uganda, which other
countries lack," Twebaze said.
If fully implemented, Twebaze said: A local farmer
will get that extra income."
Geographical indications (GIs) are signs or specific
names conferred on products coming from
specific geographic regions or origins. Twebaze
said the concept of GIs was still new in Uganda
and few understand it.
Twebaze said GIs have become necessary over
time because the product earns a unique
reputation, as it is often related to special qualities.
They also help in enabling the farmers have more
control in their products that go to international
markets.