Ruparelia Group Chairman Sudhir urge flower exporters to prioritize global certification

 Uganda is expanding verification frameworks like the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) alongside stricter phytosanitary and global standards to curb export rejections and secure premium European and international markets for its horticulture and flower sectors.

 While PGS is primarily being rolled out to verify organic and agroecological produce, broader national compliance initiatives led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) dictate that all export-bound agricultural commodities must satisfy rigorous international standards.

 Regulatory bodies and associations like the Uganda Flowers Exporters Association are actively streamlining environmental and phytosanitary compliance to prevent past issues with EU market interceptions.

Flower Exporter Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia 

The Chairman, Ruparelia Group, Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia an experienced flower exporter, said that organic flower farming presented significant opportunities for Uganda, but in order to ensure progress, he cautioned flower exporters to also consider other standards procedures. 

“Farmers and exporters must meet the standard of their target markets, obtain, Certification from recognized bodies, and maintain proper traceability from farm to consumers, production, handling, processing, packaging, and labeling must also comply with required standards, ” he said

Sudhir said Uganda needs to invest in certification, family organizations, and quality management systems. If its to capture a large share of market.

Certification can help build trust and organization production, but exporters must meet the destination market requirements” he said

The Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), a locally driven quality assurance scheme, giving Ugandan farmer groups an opportunity to turn sustainable farming practices into a market advantage by demonstrating the quality and integrity of their produce.