The Ugandan Government has announced plans to expand and modernise the Soroti Fruit Factory as part of its industrialisation agenda for the Teso sub-region. The project is estimated at Shs 107 billion (US$30 million).
The expansion was outlined by Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi during a performance assessment visit to Soroti Fruits Ltd. The visit followed a directive from President Museveni to review the factory's operations and future role in the region's agro-industrial development.
© Instagram
According to Ggoobi, "Plans are underway to expand and modernise Soroti Fruit Factory in partnership with a management firm from Ethiopia," referring to the company already engaged in improving the factory's operations. He stated that construction of the new facility is expected to take about two years before becoming fully operational.
The proposed development aligns with the government's objective of increasing processing capacity for regionally grown crops, improving the performance of existing agro-processing assets, and attracting further investment into value-added industries. The partnership with the Ethiopian firm is intended to support operational upgrades while contributing technical management capacity during the expansion period.
Ggoobi's visit to the factory focused on assessing current processing performance and identifying areas for operational improvement ahead of the planned construction phase. The government views the factory's expansion as part of broader efforts to increase industrial output in the Teso sub-region and improve market access for primary producers supplying raw material to the facility.
Further details on timelines, construction phases, and expected capacity increases were not included in the announcement, although the government indicated that work toward the expansion is already underway through its collaboration with the Ethiopian management partner.
Source: Nile Post
