{"id":1934,"date":"2026-04-28T14:15:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:15:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/?p=1934"},"modified":"2026-05-18T09:59:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:59:24","slug":"strengthening-ugandas-horticulture-sector-the-dynamic-partnership-between-hortifresh-and-hortimap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/strengthening-ugandas-horticulture-sector-the-dynamic-partnership-between-hortifresh-and-hortimap\/","title":{"rendered":"Strengthening Uganda\u2019s Horticulture Sector: The Dynamic Partnership Between HortiFresh and HortiMAP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Building Foundations for Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n

HortiFresh, Uganda, an apex horticulture organization, was founded in 2019 with the ambitious goal of transforming the country\u2019s, fruit, and vegetable industries. As a relatively young entity, it faced hurdles in gaining traction, particularly in rallying support from its members and attracting new ones. Limited value propositions, high membership fees, and a lack of clear vision slowed its early progress. Yet, with determination and strategic support, HortiFresh has begun to carve a path toward industry resilience and competitiveness.<\/p>\n

Dealing with Market Barriers and Quality Issues<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ugandan exporters in the Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers (FFV) sector are striving to access regional and global markets. Their reliance on personal networks to source quality products from smallholder farmers often results in inconsistent quality, pesticide residues exceeding Maximum Residue Limits (MRL), subpar packaging, and a lack of necessary certifications. These issues threaten their ability to compete internationally. Despite well-intentioned policies, Uganda\u2019s sector remains underfunded and poorly implemented, emphasizing the need for strategic policy advocacy and effective sector coordination. The complexities of international trade\u2014such as rising non-tariff measures, logistics costs, and trade agreements\u2014further complicate market access, demanding innovative approaches to sector development.<\/p>\n

Unlocking Opportunities Through Strategic Support<\/strong><\/p>\n

The partnership between HortiFresh and HortiMAP has been pivotal in addressing these sector challenges. With HortiMAP\u2019s support, HortiFresh developed a comprehensive five-year strategic plan that identified operational gaps, highlighted income opportunities, and clarified its value proposition for farmers and sector partners. A key achievement was designing a quality and access framework that enables farmers to meet regional and international standards through grower schemes and capacity-building initiatives.<\/p>\n

Growth, Quality, and Market Access<\/strong><\/p>\n

The results were evident: HortiFresh\u2019s membership skyrocketed from 50 to 250 companies, many of which are now reaching regional and international markets. The organization has become a vital brokerage hub\u2014facilitating linkages with packing companies, supporting farmers to understand quality standards, and collaborating with government agencies to train exporter extension workers. This integrated approach is gradually reducing border delays and interceptions, boosting confidence in Ugandan exports. Fred Zake, Executive Director of HortiFresh, expressed pride in the progress achieved through the partnership: \u201cOur collaboration with HortiMAP has strengthened our internal operations and clarified our sector\u2019s value. We are empowering farmers to meet international standards and are actively engaged in policy reforms that will sustain sector growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

HortiFresh\u2019s contributions include completing a policy review of the FFV sector, producing an issues log, and developing an improved position paper alongside sector-specific fact sheets. These documents have sparked responses from multiple stakeholders, fostering a more conducive policy environment.<\/p>\n

From Farm to Global Markets<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ms. Zununa Tibenda, director of Zunnie Agri Consultancy (ZAC), exemplifies the benefits of this partnership. Operating in Wakiso and Kamuli districts, Zununa supplies high-quality produce\u2014such as chillis, hot peppers, and garden eggs\u2014to markets in the UK, Dubai, and Turkey. She credits HortiFresh with providing vital training on pest management, chemical use, and compliance standards. \u201cWe have learned how to produce below MRLs, which helps us avoid interceptions and meet strict international standards,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n

HortiFresh\u2019s technical training, linkage facilitation, and access to financial opportunities have improved the quality of member produce and strengthened relationships between smallholders and buyers. Over the past three years, the sector has experienced a remarkable growth trajectory, attracting more support and recognition as a key player in Uganda\u2019s export landscape.<\/p>\n

Future Direction: Policy, Market Access, and Sector Sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the focus remains on establishing a robust policy framework that supports seamless market entry. Policy instruments\u2014such as tariffs, duties, and trade agreements\u2014must be tailored to local contexts to unlock Uganda\u2019s full export potential. Mr. Fortunate Kwiringira, a policy advocacy expert, emphasizes that coordinated efforts among the government, private sector, and civil society are essential to creating an enabling environment.<\/p>\n

The partnership between HortiFresh and HortiMAP exemplifies strategic collaboration driving sector-wide change. From strengthening organizational capacity and policy advocacy to empowering farmers with technical skills, this alliance is laying the groundwork for a resilient, high-quality horticulture industry in Uganda. As Fred Zake notes, \u201cTogether, we are shaping a future where Ugandan produce competes confidently on regional and global stages, supported by policies and practices that foster growth and sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Building Foundations for Growth HortiFresh, Uganda, an apex horticulture organization, was founded in 2019 with the ambitious goal of transforming the country\u2019s, fruit, and vegetable industries. As a relatively young entity, it faced hurdles in gaining traction, particularly in rallying support from its members and attracting new ones. Limited value propositions, high membership fees, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1934"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2453,"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1934\/revisions\/2453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amacuegroup.com\/hr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}