Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have complained of becoming impotent, a rights group has said. Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had failed to give workers adequate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. The UK government's development bank, CDC,
Read MoreAgribusiness
Getting Women In The Driver’s Seat Of Africa’s Agribusiness Revolution
By Mariam Yinusa and Edward Mabaya Monica Musonda, CEO of Zambian food processing company Java Foods, certainly faced hurdles in her rise to the top, but she overcame them. “Although the barriers to entry for women can be frustrating, they are often basic and relatively easy to resolve,” she said,
Read MorePresident Yoweri Museveni Friday commissioned four factories under the Balaji Group of Companies in Luweero. These are Premier Distilleries, SR Afro Chicks & Breeders and Atis Biscuits & Mineral Water under Balaji Group EA Ltd. “Combined, the Balaji Group of Companies employs close to 3,000 people, uses 90% of locally-procured
Read MoreAgriculture remains Uganda’s main economic driver, but widespread use of new and disruptive technologies can quicken the transition from subsistence to commercial farming necessary to increase incomes. The Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries, Vincent Ssempija said on Tuesday, “To ensure all these technologies work to strengthen our agricultural
Read MorePresident Yoweri Museveni yesterday hosted Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, and a group of investors from Carlifornia, USA at his farm in Kisozi, Gomba. Kadaga skipped chairing Parliament yesterday and instead opted to visit Museveni’s farm. This left some MPs angered as her deputy, Jacob Oulanyah wasn't also available. Museveni said the
Read MoreBy Matsiko Kahunga In a space of a few months, I have come across press reports that reveal the dilemma of Uganda’s agricultural sector. Saturday Monitor, recently carried an interview with the Chief Executive, House of Dawda (the makers of Splash juice), where he decries the firm producing below capacity,
Read MoreFor Southern Africa, Climate Change Is Real As Prolonged Droughts Are Creating Food Shortages
Southern Africa is feeling the effects of climate change. The United Nations is reporting that prolonged droughts there and across the continent have led to food shortages, which will impact 45 million people. Farming is prone to climate change as both livestock and crops are reactive to changes in temperatures
Read MoreThe Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has suspended the importation, sale and distribution some peanut butter products from Kenya after Laboratory Tests carried out by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) confirmed high levels of aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin is a poisonous cancer-causing compound. The peanut butter products include Nuteez
Read MoreFifteen kilometres from Kenyan town of Eldoret town, on the Eldoret-Kapsabet Road, sits Gregory Koech’s farm, on which he grows passion fruits. The 29-year-old grows the crop on the two-acre farm. He plans to increase the acreage from the current two to five acres. The farmer, a Bachelor of Commerce
Read MoreKenya is headed for another year of maize imports, officials have warned as projections indicate a production shortfall from the long season’s harvests, Business Daily reports. Agriculture ministry that projected a production shortfall of 10 million bags this season says the heavy rains may complicate matters for farmers as postharvest
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