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From farm to airport: Uganda cuts red tape and costs

Uganda
30.09.2025
Large quantities of fruit and vegetables, but low export figures – Uganda is not yet exploiting its agricultural potential. Why? Bureaucracy, inefficient processes and high costs are holding back farmers and exporters. But an innovative project shows how targeted reforms can facilitate trade, shorten inspection times and minimise losses. Uganda has revolutionised the journey from farm to airport with simple but effective measures.

Uganda’s fertile soil yields more than 5.7 million tonnes of fruits and vegetables a year (FAO, 2019). Yet only about 20%, worth US$34 million, ever makes it abroad, a figure that lags far behind Kenya and Tanzania (RUSH Exporter Baseline Study, 2022). For farmers and exporters, the barriers were depressingly familiar: endless paperwork, fragmented systems, delays at airports, and costly rejections in destination markets.

Uganda’s exporters face costly trade hurdles

Global trade is becoming increasingly complex for developing countries. Political tensions, stricter standards, new rules and sustainability requirements are driving up costs and fragmenting markets. These challenges were particularly noticeable in Ugandan agriculture, where reforms to facilitate trade were urgently needed.

The inefficiencies were significant: exporters needed an average of 15.2 hours per shipment, which equated to around 910 hours or 38 working days per year. More than half of this time was spent on manual sorting and checking. The costs amounted to US$88 per shipment or US$8,600 per year, 90% of which was accounted for by personnel costs. Losses due to rejects and returns amounted to $300,000 for exporters and $72,000 for farmers.

RUSH boosts Uganda’s exports – faster checks, less waste, more trust

It was this context that spurred the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF) to fund the Re-engineering Uganda’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Inspection of Horticulture Exports (RUSH) project, implemented by Swisscontact in partnership with Uganda’s Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives (MTIC) and Uganda private sector organisations such as HortiFresh.

With the Private Sector Contribution Tracker, Swisscontact has introduced a tool that measures companies' contributions in kind and strengthens accountability. More than 90% of exporters have adopted the new checklists, and 80% of them have expressed their confidence in them.

"We used to handle large amounts of paperwork that had to be stored for long periods before disposal. Now, with electronic processes for both exporters and inspectors, the system is faster, more transparent, and has reduced the cost of doing business."
Joyce Kaddu Kisingiri, Senior Agricultural Inspector at MAAIF

Three key innovations shaped RUSH:

  • a planning tool for better coordination prior to inspections,
  • revised checklists to close critical data gaps,
  • and targeted training for agronomists and quality controllers.

These seemingly small measures quickly had an impact: inspection times at packaging plants fell from 2.5 to less than 2 hours, and at Entebbe Airport to just 29 minutes. Waste was significantly reduced, saving farmers and exporters almost US$370,000 a year. During the project period, only one shipment was intercepted at the airport.

"It is very beneficial in traceability. We can trace where we source our products and fulfill standards."
Ms. Kabahenda Betty, Managing Director of Farm Fresh Produce Uganda/Icemark

Efficient trading systems are possible. The question is no longer whether this will work, but how quickly we can expand it together. The plan is in place. We invite foundations, companies and institutions to help expand these reforms in Africa's agricultural corridors – so that more farmers, exporters and consumers can benefit from faster trade, lower costs and greater prosperity.

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Sources

  • FAO Statistical Yearbook (2019): Uganda fruit and vegetable production (5.7 million tonnes annually).
  • Uganda Bureau of Statistics (2022): Agriculture contribution to GDP (23.8%) and share of working population (60%).
  • Economics (2022): Agriculture share of Uganda’s exports (80%).
  • Asoko Insight (2019): Floriculture as Uganda’s third-largest non-traditional export. RUSH Exporter Survey & Baseline Study (2022, Swisscontact & Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation)