Gov’t to expand Soroti Fruit Factory to enhance productivity
Speaking to this reporter recently, Ramathan Ggoobi, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance, confirmed that the government has secured US$ 30 million [approximately Shs 100 billion] to upgrade the factory
SOROTI, November 19, 2025 — The Government of Uganda is set to expand the Soroti Fruit Factory, with plans to establish a state-of-the-art facility that will surpass the current one in both size and technology, significantly boosting performance and productivity.
Speaking to this reporter recently, Ramathan Ggoobi, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance, confirmed that the government has secured US$ 30 million [approximately Shs 100 billion] to upgrade the factory.
“We are working on how to expand it on the land available here by building an extension that is almost equivalent to, or even bigger than, the current one, and equipped with better technologies,” Ggoobi said.
He revealed that the extension will be completed in less than 15 months and will have the capacity to crush 10 tonnes of oranges, mangoes and other fruits per hour.
Ggoobi expressed satisfaction with the significant drop in the rejection rate, which he said has fallen to less than 1 per cent, down from 85 percent.
He highlighted the government’s support for farmers, noting that the new approach involves factory management collecting fruit directly from farmers, thereby reducing rejection rates. Previously, farmers transported their produce to the factory themselves, only for much of it to be rejected. The factory now works closely with farmers, offering training in post-harvest handling, which has contributed to the substantial decline in rejection.
“As a result of that, we have learnt that the rejection rate has dropped from 80 per cent to just 1 per cent,” Ggoobi explained.
Ggoobi also welcomed the support of the Korean government, which is collaborating with Uganda on this experimental setup and has provided valuable insights into best practices and areas for improvement.
He expressed confidence that once the facility is expanded, it will significantly enhance performance and have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Tsegamariam Tesfaye, the Chief Commercial Officer at Soroti Fruit Factory, expressed gratitude to the President and the Government of Uganda for their unwavering support.
“The government has allocated us land adjacent to the fruit factory, and we are very happy with the support provided,” Tesfaye said.
She added that the factory is preparing to boost its production capacity, noting that they are currently in the fruit-crushing season and ready to process oranges and other fruits as preparations conclude.
Tesfaye noted that the factory currently processes six tonnes of fruit per hour, but with the expansion, capacity will increase to 10 tonnes per hour.
Established to provide a steady market for oranges and mangoes while minimising post-harvest losses, the factory processes six metric tonnes of fruit per hour, producing purée, concentrate and natural ready-to-drink juice under the Teju Juice [TEJU] brand. Located in Arapai Industrial Park, Soroti City East Division, the factory is about 299 kilometres [186 miles] northeast of Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
https://thecooperator.news/soroti-fruits-limited-begins-processing-local-mangoes/
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