Exporting fresh produce from Uganda
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Uganda registers every fresh-produce exporter before the first shipment, and audits your packhouse and suppliers first.
1. One-time registrations (do these first)
- Company and TIN
Register the company with URSB and get a TIN from the Uganda Revenue Authority. MAAIF will not register an exporter without a physical address. - Ministry of Trade recommendation
Get a recommendation for registration from the Commissioner External Trade, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. - HortiFresh orientation and pre-assessment
Join HortiFresh, the horticulture apex association. Complete its SPS orientation and export-readiness assessment of your farms or out-growers and packhouse, then get its recommendation letter to MAAIF. - Packhouse and suppliers
Show that you own, rent or share a packhouse, and have a nucleus farm or contracted farmers, with an approved traceability system. A MAAIF inspector inspects the packhouse; fix any gaps and ask for re-inspection. - MAAIF exporter registration
Apply to the Commissioner for Crop Inspection and Certification on company letterhead with the HortiFresh membership, audit and orientation proof. You get an export number once approved. www.agriculture.go.ug - REX number for the EU
For the EU, register as a REX exporter with your customs authority so you can write the statement on origin on your invoice. Below EUR 6,000 per shipment, any exporter can make the statement without REX registration.
2. For every shipment
- Inspection request
Apply to MAAIF for inspection (in person at Namalere or online) and present the consignment. Allow at least one day. - Phytosanitary certificate
Issued after the consignment passes. The official fee listed by UEPB is UGX 5,000 per certificate - confirm the current fee. If the market needs fumigation, a MAAIF-certified fumigator must treat the produce first and give a fumigation certificate. ugandaexports.go.ug - Origin and commercial documents
Statement on origin (REX) for the EU, commercial invoice, packing list and air waybill, then declare the goods with URA.
MAAIF can suspend an exporter for 1 to 24 weeks - for example after two interceptions without corrective action, or without a working traceability system - and de-register for 6 to 12 months for fraud such as re-using phytosanitary certificates.
3. Crop rules
Hot peppers to the EU
The EU checks 50% of Ugandan hot pepper consignments for pesticide residues at the border (Regulation 2026/194). Residue testing before shipping is strongly advised.
Peppers, citrus, peaches, pomegranates to the EU
Peppers (Capsicum), citrus other than lemons and limes, peaches and pomegranates going to the EU must meet special rules for false codling moth: a pest-free area or place of production, or a registered production site with an approved systems approach or treatment. The details go on the phytosanitary certificate - agree the option with your plant health agency before the season. Uganda has had interceptions of peppers, Annona and roses for false codling moth; MAAIF stops clearance for exporters with repeated interceptions.
Buyer certifications
Not required by government, but most buyers ask for them.
- GLOBALG.A.P. is what most EU supermarket buyers ask for. Use the Readiness check in the app to see your gaps.
Who does what
| For | Agency | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Phytosanitary certificate | MAAIF - Department of Crop Inspection and Certification (DCIC) | Uganda's plant protection organisation. Registers fresh-produce exporters, inspects packhouses and issues the phytosanitary certificate (ePhyto: agriculture.go.ug/ephyto). |
| Pesticide registration | Agricultural Chemicals Board (MAAIF) | Registers agricultural chemicals under the Agricultural Chemicals (Control) Act and publishes the Agricultural Chemicals Register. |
| Exporter licence / support | Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) and HortiFresh | UEPB supports exporters. HortiFresh, the horticulture apex association, runs the SPS orientation and pre-assessment that MAAIF requires before exporter registration. |
| Customs and origin | Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) | TIN, customs clearance. EU exporters also need a REX number. |
Selling to the EU
Uganda sells to the EU duty-free under Everything But Arms (EBA). Proof of origin is a statement on origin made by an exporter registered in the REX system.
Pesticides: a product registered in Uganda can still be banned or limited in your export market. Check every product in the free checker before you spray, and confirm residues with an accredited lab before shipping.
Sources
- MAAIF - Export of fruits and vegetables
- UEPB - Obtaining a phytosanitary certificate
- Uganda Media Centre - phytosanitary compliance statement (2019)
- EU Regulation 2026/194 - increased border checks (Annex I of Regulation 2019/1793)
- COLEAD - EU false codling moth rules (Regulation 2022/959)
- EU Access2Markets - REX registered exporter system
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