President Museveni at the Mehta factory headquarters in Lugazi Town Photo Credit: Red Pepper

President Yoweri Museveni has highly commended the Mehta Group, a multi-national and multi-activity enterprise, for reviving the factories in Uganda which had collapsed. He said that the revived factories do not only belong to Mehta but to Ugandans who are really the main beneficiaries.

The President was commissioning a new US$50 million food grade carbon dioxide facility, sugar mills and a cable plant at the Mehta factory headquarters in Lugazi Town, Buikwe district.

The new food grade carbon dioxide venture is the first of its kind in Uganda. Mehta supplies food grade carbon gas to Uganda-based firms such as Nile Breweries and also exports the gas to the neighbouring countries of Rwanda and Burundi.

President Museveni said that government institutions will purchase from the new cable factory as a way of supporting the factory to grow and for the benefit of Ugandans. He explained that the NRM government had to support the private sector private companies work more efficiently compared to civil servants who don’t mind about productivity.

Mr. Museveni urged the employees at the factory to work hard because the enterprise benefits them. He called on leaders to always explain government programmes to people in order to help them appreciate the benefits from the programmes that are tailored to uplift their welfare status.

The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Mr. Tress Buchanayandi, thanked the Mehta Group for work done saying the factory has done a lot in improving the lives of the people.

The proprietor of the venture, Mr. Mehta, commended President Museveni for the peace and stability in the country which, he said, is one of the things he is proud of since his return from exile. He was optimistic that the new ventures would further enhance the production capacity of the factory.

Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL), produces 100,000 tons of sugar per year, 3,000 tons of food grade carbon dioxide and employs over 7,000 workers.