Soroti Fruit Factory Suspends Fruit Purchases as US$21 Million Expansion Gets Underway

What the report says

Nile Post reported that Soroti Fruit Factory has begun a major expansion at Soroti Industrial Park, with investment valued at more than US$21 million. The project includes about US$10 million for construction works and a further US$11 million for processing equipment being made in Italy. At a groundbreaking held on Monday, the factory said the upgrade is intended to expand capacity and move production beyond its current focus on oranges and mangoes.

According to the report, Quality Assurance Manager Felix Angeki said the new plant will include an automated bottling line able to produce 800 cartons an hour, compared with 200 cartons under the existing semi-automated system. The expansion is also expected to add processing for fruits and products such as pineapples, passion fruits, ginger, tamarind, mangoes and oranges, alongside plans for animal feed and organic fertiliser from waste, a tissue culture laboratory for seedlings, and bottled drinking water production.

The development has immediate consequences for growers in Teso. Angeki said fruit buying will be halted during construction because food safety rules do not allow processing to continue while works are underway. Farmers have been told to wait until the expanded facility resumes operations, expected by June 2027, raising fears that many will lose their main market in the meantime.

Local leaders and farmer representatives welcomed the long-term promise of a larger market but asked management and government to find short-term solutions, including partial purchasing, quality seedlings and demonstration gardens. Soroti District Chairperson Bob Owiny and Teso Regional LC5 Chairperson Geoffrey Omolo said the project’s value will be judged by whether it absorbs farmers’ produce, creates jobs and strengthens agro-industrial activity in eastern Uganda.