Traders defy UNBS directive on maize
A maize transporter waits for clearing at Katuna border post on August 23, 2023. PHOTO/ROBERT MUHEREZA
What you need to know:
- They argue that the directive was abrupt and there was no proper consultation with stakeholders, leaving them insufficient time to finance the necessary adjustments.
Clearing agents and exporters operating at border posts in southwestern Uganda want Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to halt the implementation of its directive on exports until all stakeholders are fully sensitised.
On August 22, the UNBS issued a notice that all maize exporters must subject their products to tests and also provide certification that they meet standards before exportation.
Mr Stephen Kiwanuka, the vice chairperson of the clearing agents association at Katuna border in Kabale District, said they have not been given time to finance the implementation of the new standards.
“The UNBS directive was abrupt. They didn’t involve the key stakeholders for proper harmonisation, planning and implementation. I am worried that this directive may interfere with the daily work of the clearing agents since the local traders may resort to illegal cross-border trade and smuggling regardless of the risks involved,” Mr Kiwanuka said.
UNBS notice
According to the UNBS notice, every exporter must obtain standard copies of export requirements and comply with the specified requirements under the governing Ugandan standards, including US EAS 2:2017: maize grains specification (3rd edition); US EAS 44:2019; milled maize (corn) products-specification (4th edition); and US EAS 38:2014, the labelling of pre-packaged foods.
“Every exporter must have his/her product packaging clearly and indelibly labelled and traceable with the name of the product, name and address of the manufacturer/packer, brand name and/or registered trademark, batch, net weight, units, storage instructions, the statement ‘Food for human consumption’, country of origin, date of manufacture and expiry and instructions for disposal of used package,” the notice signed by UNBS executive director Richard Nangalama on August 22, reads in part.
The notice adds: “The client shall meet the costs of handling casual workers during sampling. You are advised to ensure that your products are of right quality and quantity before they are presented for sampling. Should any truck disappear from the parking yard or any exporter violates the above guidelines, it shall lead to nullification of the whole exercise and UNBS shall withdraw from the arrangement.”
The chairman for the clearing agents at Cyanika border in Kisoro, Mr Paul Mukiza, said UNBS should halt implementation of the directive until it has established offices at all border posts to reduce bureaucracy.
“This directive will affect local exporters in the border communities. It favours the exporters based in Kampala City. There is a need for the UNBS management to establish its offices at every border post to serve the interests of local exporters,” Mr Mukiza said.
Mr James Karija, a maize exporter, said the directive would negatively affect trade, adding that a grace period would have been given so that traders adjust to the requirements.
“Since it’s the position of the government, we shall go with it and fulfil the requirement but the government would have given us a grace period so that we get time to adjust to the requirement,” Mr Karija said.
The chairperson of the business community in Kisoro District, Mr Expedito Byensi, asked UNBS to decentralise services by opening up offices at border towns to facilitate easy trade instead of local exporters first transporting their commodities to Kampala for sampling.
The directive came after South Sudan seized Ugandan cereal products, claiming that they did not meet regional standards. Kenya too blocks Ugandans’ cereals on the same grounds.
