NARO Strengthens โTies โคwith Industry to Address Agro-Processing Challenges
Theโข Nationalโข Agricultural Research Organisation โ(NARO) is bolstering its industrial support services to assist uganda’s growing agro-processing sector. This collaboration aims to tackle key challenges faced by companies, ranging from โคraw material โขquality to machinery โneeds, with โsolutions developed internally within NARO’s research capabilities.
According to Dr. Baguma of NARO, the โขassociation isโ actively developingโ product prototypes for entrepreneurs to scale into full-fledged industries. This commitment was โคhighlighted during a recent โbusinessโ visitโ to โฃPsalms Foodโ Industries Limited โin Nkoowe, Wakiso District.
Psalmsโ Food โขIndustries, which produces snacks under the Sumz, Krunchables, and โขAfrikan Harvest brands, โrecently inaugurated aโ new production plant to meet increasing demand after 15 years in operation. However, CEOโฃ and co-founder Mr. Dennis Ngabirano emphasized โongoing โdifficulties โขwith the consistency โof raw material quality โand quantity, leading to โฃproduction losses.
“Quality affects the final product. For example,โ when different groundnut varieties are mixed, it leads toโ wastage. On the other hand, inconsistentโ supply sometimesโ forces us to shut down machines entirely,” Ngabirano explained.
Despite these hurdles, Ngabirano expressed optimism that targetedโฃ interventions โฃlikeโ massโ seed multiplication and improved โfarmer access โคto better varieties could provide solutions. He praised โNARO’s development of improved crops, includingโข groundnuts, maize, simsim,โ and โIrish potatoes, which already serve as โvital rawโข materials for Psalms Food Industries‘ products.
Psalmsโ Food Industries has โexpanded its product โline from โฃinitial offerings of ripe sweet plantains (gonja) to over 30 items, encompassing crisps, baked โgoods, extruded snacks, peanut butter, and โคflavored honey.The company’s brands now reach diverse consumer โsegments and have expanded into regional โคmarkets including Kenya,Rwanda,Tanzania,DR Congo,and south โSudan.
“Our mission is to have Psalms โproducts in every household. Researchโค shows Ugandan agro-products have a regional competitive โคedge due to their superior taste. With NARO as a key ally, โwe are confident of solving theโฃ quality and quantity challengesโค internally,” Ngabirano stated.
NARO has recently released several industrial-focused varieties, including three groundnutโข varieties – NARONUT โค3R, 4R, and 5R – approved last โyear for theirโ high nutritional content and suitability for confectionery and โpaste production. New Irish potato varieties (NARO Potโ 5-10) have also โขbeen โreleased,specifically designed for processing into chips and crisps.
Mr. Narcis Tumushabe, Chairperson โคof Psalms Food industries and Managing Directorโข of FICA Seeds, commended NARO’s focus on โคindustrial varieties but calledโค for increased efforts in potatoโ production โคand strengthened extension services to minimizeโค crop mix-ups that hinderโค processing.
The NARO delegation, led byโฃ Dr. Baguma, included โฃDeputy Director General for Agricultural Technology โฃPromotion, Dr. Sadik โKassim, Director Corporate โขservices, Dr. Stevens โขKisaka, and other senior officials.
