KAMULI; Uganda has commissioned a US$50 (Shs 180bn) cassava starch processing plant in Kamuli District as the government moves to cut reliance on imported pharmaceutical inputs and build domestic industrial capacity.
The facility in Namasagali, developed by Dei BioPharma Ltd. under Dr. Matthias Magoola, marks the first phase of a larger industrial complex expected to produce starch, glucose, maltose and fructose ingredients essential to drug manufacturing and currently sourced largely from abroad.
Government projections indicate the plant could create more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs and provide a stable market for cassava farmers in eastern Uganda.
Officials say the project fits into wider efforts to expand agro-industrial processing and retain more value from Uganda’s agricultural output.
Museveni, speaking during the commissioning, said the state would back the broader industrial park but cautioned smallholder farmers against moving into cassava for industrial supply without assessing returns. “We must be clear about the earnings per acre per year,” he said.
“If it’s not much, we shouldn’t repeat the mistake of sugarcane, where people with small land copied those with huge chunks of land.”
The investment comes as Uganda seeks to strengthen pharmaceutical supply chains after years of import dependence and exposure to global price swings. Industry players say locally produced starch derivatives could lower production costs for manufacturers and reduce foreign-exchange pressure tied to medical imports.
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