BUSIA DISTRICT: President Museveni has today commissioned Busia central market and a grain value addition facility within the new market in Busia district. 

The market located at Solo C village, Busia Municipality was constructed at a total cost of 24.5 billion shillings, VAT inclusive. It will host over 2000 vendors and 1261 facilities, which include; market stalls, banking facilities, bulk storage facilities, vendor offices, to mention but a few.

President Museveni commended the Ministry of Local government for successfully completing the project and noted that with the value addition facility, Uganda would now be able to do maize milling, as well as make animal feeds for the local and regional market. 

“Poultry feeds have been a challenge but now possible here. Chicken feed was disturbing us despite having so much maize. We were importing ingredients to make chicken feeds but now we have this facility to do this,” he said.

President Museveni said the new market will boost the business environment at the border district and urged the vendors and consumers to get rid of hygiene challenges that characterized old traditional markets.

“We must maintain the cleanliness. We don’t want mud, dust and flies here. With a concrete surface at this market, the hygiene must be maintained,” he said. 

President Museveni urged market leaders and vendors working in it to utilize it well and endeavor to keep it clean, as the market has cleaning facilities and will attract cross border trade.

According to the State Minister for Local Government, Jennifer Namuyangu, the modern market will house agricultural storage facilities with a capacity to store up to 3,000-tones of grain, maize milling facilities and a facility for production of animal feed. 

The 3000-tones value addition facility was constructed by the government of Uganda with support from the African Development bank under the markets and agricultural trade improvement programme - project 2 (MATIP-2) in the Ministry of Local government. The facility deals in pre-cleaning, drying and storing of grain.

Minister Namuyangu appreciated President Museveni for his guidance in the establishment of markets across several districts in Uganda.

“These market projects are your brainchild and we thank you for always taking care of the urban poor,” she said.

About the Value addition facility, the Minister was happy to note that the facility would be able to do maize milling with 1.5 tones per hour and appealed to Ugandans to take advantage of the facility. 

#ENDS…