By David Isabirye
The Korean Ambassador to Uganda, Park Sung-soo, has thanked Ugandan small-scale manufacturers and cottage industry owners that have taken advantage of the support offered through the Korean Embassy to develop their products for international markets.
He made the remarks while touring the stalls of exhibitors under ITC and KOICA during the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) Trade Fair at Lugogo recently and praised the exhibitors for their efforts to improve the quality of their products.
Ambassador Park also thanked those already collaborating with the International Trade Center (ITC) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for their efforts.
He is also satisfied with the embassy’s continued participation in the UMA Trade Fair over the past four years, noting that it has strengthened trade relations between Korea and Uganda.
He highlighted major Korean companies such as Samsung and LG and KOTRA based in Kenya that took part in the trade fair.
“I have always believed that increasing trade and investment are essential to strengthening stable cooperation between the two countries,” said Ambassador Park Sung-soo.
He also wants the current cooperation between Korea and Uganda largely focused on unilateral development assistance to extend into a mutual benefit through trade relations.
“I want Ugandans to learn about small and medium-sized Korean companies that are highly competitive. The trade fair provides a great opportunity to introduce and promote each other’s products,” he added.
The embassy sponsored ten exhibitors to showcase their products, which included farm produce, electronics, skincare, and general wellness items.
Farmers Hands, a Korean company based in Kenya which displayed AI-powered gadgets designed to monitor farm animals, boost milk production, and reduce mortality rates was another exhibitor.
The Ugandan companies praised KOICA for its support in improving the quality of their products, particularly in packaging and preservation especially for cassava, shea butter, and sunflower oil producers.
Ali Walter, proprietor of King of Kings in Kitgum was one of them and commended KOICA and ITC for their contributions.
“We have over 400 staff in village agronomy working with more than 10,000 smallholder farmers producing cassava, which we package for export mainly to Congo and South Sudan,” Walter said.
Stephen Emoit, proprietor of Well Uganda Kole Farmer’s Cooperative in Lira called for the technology to enable Ugandan farmers to benefit from the global cassava market, valued at $87.54 billion and projected to reach $116.27 billion by 2030.
“Technology is our main challenge. We are ready to add value to cassava and have started expanding to other parts of the country, including Buikwe, Zirobwe, and Kayunga districts,” Emoit noted.
Other Uganda small-scale companies including Mohca Beauty, The Shea House, PANO, and Pader Shea Butter appreciated ITC and KOICA for their hands-on support in education, consultancy, and field monitoring of farmers.
