Let Us Do Business And Leave Politics- UDC ED Dr. Birungi Urges Budadiri Coffee Growers

The Executive Director of Uganda Development Corporation (UDC) Dr Patrick Birungi has urged the coffee growers of Budadiri and sebie regions to get more involved in doing business if they are to improve their economic growth and development rather than doing politics.

Dr Birungi made the remarks on Wednesday while launching a business partnership between UDC and Budadiri Arabic Coffee millers in Sironko District. "We have invested a tune of shs 8bn in this project and we need to do real business and we get our money back quickly and invest in another business venture," Says UDC boss Dr Birungi.

He further expressed that UDC came in after the company had failed to pay a heavy loan from UDB and all the assets were up for sale. "In 2014, the factory had installed a new machine and it was closed over a heavy the loan from UDB and other several court cases," he says adding that they came to UDC for rescue.

"After our intervasion, we changed the management and we are now on the take off stage of doing real business," He revealed. He adds that UDC intends to provide market for the farmers produces to improve on their livelihood. "We need to farmers to get the market of their produces such that they can also sustain their bills," he says.

 He says that farmers need beers, good houses, cars, education for their children among others so we can not leave them behind. "When farmers incomes increase, they will be able to develop their society which will improve on the economic growth and development of the region," he adding it is the main target of UDC

He says in the next 4-5 years he expects UDC to give back the facility to the community and move away.
Some of the farmers we talked to say after the closure of the factory they got a lot of challenges in the region because their coffee lost value and their developments were halted.

 "Our children could not go to school due to lack of money and we developed domestic issues in our families," says one of the coffee growers from Sebei. "With UDC on board now we no longer see darkness on our faces, we have now seen light," another farmer claims. He says they will work hard to ensure their project is not closed again.

 "We need money in our pockets such that we sustain our bills," adds another farmer saying they must see this factory working.

BACKGROUND
Wakisha Julius the acting General Manager says that the factory was registered in 1988 and has completed 30 years in existence. He says a line of credit was extended in 1987 for PPE.

In 1996 equipment was provided and in 1997 the factory commenced without working capital. In 2009, UDBL provided credit. In 2009- 2012, there was consistent growth. In 2012-2013, there was no demand and the company experienced financial distress in 2014, the company closed due to heavy loans.