Agrodealer Trade Across Borders (ATAB) 3RD MONTHLY REPORT-MAY 2012

The project is funded by the USAID COMPETE program. In May 2012, the project's third monthly report highlights key activities and achievements. Agrodealer training sessions were conducted in Mbarara, Mbale, and Busia districts in Uganda. The training sessions, which took place from May 2-4, May 9-11, and May 23-25, respectively, focused on cross-border grain trade. A total of 46 agrodealers from 9 districts in western Uganda and 9 districts in eastern Uganda attended the training sessions. The training covered topics such as grain aggregation and bulking, warehouse management, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, grain quality standards, harmonized standards, contractual issues and arbitration, marketing costs and margins, marketing and branding, grain export and import regulations, and customs declarations and procedures. The training sessions were facilitated by a team of experts, including Cletie Lukusa, Harriet Nabirye, Andrew Byamugisha, Jovan Kyeyune, Francis Ssozi Buyondo, Patrick Ogoji, Michael Odong, Rajab Kiguma, and Apunyo Tom. Guest speakers from external organizations, including the East Africa Grain Council, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the Uganda Revenue Authority, and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, also participated in the training sessions. The training methodology adopted a participatory approach, which included brief lectures, group discussions, group presentations, deliberations, question-and-answer sessions, and sharing of experiences. The agrodealers were also taken on visits to grain stores to gain practical experience in warehouse management, grading maize, and grain quality standards. The training materials used included electronic presentations on PowerPoint, hand-written examples on flip charts, small group breakouts, and practical exercises. The agrodealers received copies of the training materials, which covered all the subject areas. The project's workplan for June 2012 includes activities such as familiarization and sensitization, training of agrodealers, and workshops. The project coordinator, Steve Ngwalla, will lead the activities, which are expected to be completed by the end of June. The annexes to the report provide a list of attendance for the agrodealer training sessions in Mbarara, Mbale, and Busia. The lists include the names of the agrodealers, their names of shops or organizations, districts, phone numbers, and genders.