KAMPALA – Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and other stakeholders, with support from the Commonwealth Standards Network program (CSN) have on July 12 embarked on a process to simplify standards in key agricultural value chains that include rice, pineapples, avocados, shea nut and soya beans.
A survey undertaken in the agricultural sector as one of the activities under the CSN indicated that whereas standards for fruits and vegetables and other agricultural products exist at UNBS and guidelines to exist at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, there is limited awareness among the various value chain actors.
“The survey further revealed that farmers, traders and handlers don’t know that the standards exist and that those who know do not know what is required of them,” reads a statement.
It is upon this that UNBS embarked on developing easy to understand dissemination materials for farmers as a means of ensuring increased compliance to standards.
As a pilot, the simplified guidelines are to be translated to six local languages; Shea nut – Acholi, Soybean – Itesot and Langi, Pineapples – Luganda, Avocados – Runyoro-Rutooro, Rice – Luganda and Lumasaba.
The developed materials will initially be disseminated to farmers in the Acholi, Lango, Teso, Buganda, Tooro and Mbale regions for Shea nut, Soybean, Pineapples, Avocados and rice respectively.
