Construction of Soroti Fruit Factory delayed.

James Odongo and Felix Osujo 12/5/2012

The Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, HON. BRIGHT RWAMIRAMA has said the construction of the long awaited juice making factory in Soroti District has delayed because the site meant for the factory is water logged. 

Rwamirama told the press in Soroti that progress has been made and the consultant hired to conduct a feasibility study on the environment impact assessment and the report concerning the site for the fruit factory which will soon be reviewed.

“The factory is on course. We however have a challenge. The consultant says the area which has been identified is water logged and is prone to floods. That’s why am here on a site visit but we have been assured by the District leaders that there is a better place in the same area which is not water logged; we shall make a report about it”,Rwamirama said.

 Rwamirama, accompanied by the Director of Crop Resources in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Opolot Okasai and Soroti LC5 Chairman George Michael Egunyu visited the proposed fruit processing site.

The Minister was responding to concerns over the delayed construction of the fruit making factory in Soroti.

He said there were delays in the procurement process of the consultant and other technical issues but the factory is on schedule.

A key meeting to discuss the proposed fruit processing factory in the Teso region of Uganda had resolved that the plant should have been ready before the end of 2010.

Stakeholders in the factory met in Soroti last year in June and made a number of decisions regarding the proposals, including timeframes and distribution of roles.

The Minister said it was very unfortunate that there were people who are misinforming the public about the fruit factory because shs 10 billion which the government allocated to the Uganda Development Cooperation for the preparatory stage  had not been misused and part of it has been spent in feasibility study and environment impact assessment.

“The South Korean government has provided US dollars 6.5 million for the factory civil works, procurement of equipment, training of the technical people and sensitization of the farmers”, he said.

Rwamirama pointed out that there was need to sensitize the farmers on the right variety of the oranges and mangoes for factory noting that the current number of oranges will not be able to sustain the factory once it’s operational.

“We have oranges and mangoes here but once the factory starts producing, it can chew all these oranges and mangoes within a week, so we need constant production to sustain the factory.

The construction of a fruit factory would fulfill a pledge made by President Yoweri Museveni when he toured the region in 2008. Museveni hoped the factory would enable farmers to add value to their fruit and help lift the Teso region, one of the poorest in the country, out of poverty. ENDS.