Uganda today took a major step towards expanding its value-added agricultural exports after Ranchers Finest Ltd dispatched the country’s first consignment of processed beef to the Diamond Hotel and Restaurant Group in Ethiopia.

The shipment, which was flagged-off from Ranchers Finest Ltd processing facility in Kawempe, marks the beginning of a formal supply agreement under which the firm will export approximately 20 tonnes of processed beef and other premium meat products, including sausages, steaks and lamb, every month to the Ethiopian hospitality chain.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Agribusiness, Dr. Hillary Emmanuel Musoke Kisanja described the export as a landmark achievement for Uganda’s livestock industry, saying it demonstrates the country’s growing capacity to compete in regional markets through value addition.

“This deal is a very big achievement for Uganda and one of the biggest milestones for our livestock industry,” Dr. Musoke said.

He said Uganda should focus on processing livestock products locally instead of exporting live animals, arguing that value addition enables the country to retain more wealth while creating employment opportunities across the production chain.

“We need to process all the meat from the farm to the fork,” he said.

Dr. Musoke noted that processing meat locally creates jobs in slaughtering, packaging, transportation, quality assurance and marketing, while also increasing returns to farmers.

“We are going to create more jobs. I urge Ugandans to go back to the farms and rear animals because demand for processed meat is growing,” he said.

He commended Ranchers Finest for investing in value addition and positioning Uganda as a reliable supplier of processed meat products that meet international food safety standards.

“We thank the management for putting Uganda on the map,” he said.

Dr. Musoke also urged farmers, investors and other stakeholders to support companies engaged in value addition to enable Uganda to earn more from its livestock resources.

According to Ranchers Finest, the export contract was secured through a competitive procurement process, with the company selected because of its compliance with internationally recognised food safety standards, including ISO 22000:2018 and HACCP certification.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer Mr. Collin Muyanja, said the agreement reflects growing confidence in Uganda’s meat industry and is expected to open doors to more export opportunities in Ethiopia and other regional markets.

He added that the company remains committed to supplying premium quality processed meat products while supporting government efforts to promote industrialisation, value addition and export-led growth.

The CEO also noted that exporting processed meat rather than live animals enables Uganda to earn higher export revenues, create more jobs, improve product traceability and retain a greater share of the value generated by the livestock sector.