WE ARE GOING TO CLOSE SHOP – RICE MILLERS.

The Rice Millers Council of Uganda has  this afternoon held a meeting with the Rt. Hon Rebecca Kadaga the 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs in Uganda at the Ministry offices on kingdom Kampala building -Nile Avenue to discuss the ongoing imbalance of rice produce and trade between Uganda and Tanzania. The meeting which was attended by representatives from Ministry of Finance and Economics Planning. Ministry of Trade, Investment and Cooperatives, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Industry, had Ugandan rice millers calling on government protect them from Tanzanian rice inflows or at least regulate the import of rice so they can have a share of the market otherwise the sector under threat.

THE PANIC:

Recently the United Republic of Tanzania used import duty on rice to subsidize their farmers with seeds, farming equipment, and because of that boost that the United Republic of Tanzania gave to its farmers, they gained a boost in production which took on the Ugandan market because  Tanzanian rice pocket friendly compared to Uganda’s Kaiso and Super rice type. 

In response to the traders plea, The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs in Uganda RT. Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, instructed that there should be two working committees to study Uganda’s capacity, level of investment and how much impact the importation is causing on the traders.it was unanimously agreed that the survey should take two weeks and come back to meet the First Deputy Prime Minister with a report and findings from the survey.

THE EAC:

Uganda is among the Partner States that form the East African Community whose Secretariat is in Arusha.  However, under the Common Market Protocol which entered into force in July 2010, stipulates Free Movement of Goods, Free Movement of Persons, Free Movements of Labour/Workers, Free Movement of Capital, Right of Establishment and Rights of Establishment and Right of Residence