Ugandan farming SME leverages upscaling program to boost market access

Priceless Farms is a Ugandan-based farming startup focused on regenerative agriculture. “Priceless Farms specializes in growing and producing African herbs, and we are growing Moringa and processing Moringa powder at the moment,” said Joseph Olupot, the Assistant Director. Joseph adds that the company intends to generate high-end products that meet the needs of local and international markets. 

Priceless Farms struggled to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic disruption as it was challenging to regain its market share. “After the pandemic, we attempted to resume operations, but the sales were quite low, and sometimes we would go a month without sales,” remarks Joseph. Poor market access meant Priceless Farms experienced revenue strain, leading to minimized operations. 

According to a publication by a group of Ugandan researchers on Private Enterprise Development in Low-income Countries, only 36% of Ugandan businesses remained open after the first Covid-19 lockdown in the country and experienced a 48.5% revenue decline and a 60% decrease in profit. The findings demonstrate the depth of disruption the pandemic caused to the business environment. Small enterprises, such as the Priceless Farms, were the hardest hit by the disruption considering their vulnerability. The pandemic disruption impacted vital business functions severely, including market access and cash flow. “We needed a recovery plan, and our only hope was to expand within the Ugandan market and venture into the international market,” remarks Joseph. 

Joseph enrolled in Invest in Africa’s upscaling program for manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to acquire market breakthroughs for his business. The program involved capacity building and technical support within five modules: market access, access to finance, transparency, and traceability, good manufacturing practices, and new product development. 

“I enrolled in all five modules of the program, and one of my immediate interests was ‘market access’ where I received support to segment the company’s target market, prioritize marketing channels, and understand how I could position the businesses to potential clients,” Joseph said. One of the main recommendations from the program was to work with pertinent market players, and the company enlisted distributors to enhance its market outreach. 
Joseph adds that the company began to actively engage on social media by applying the marketing lessons, and it is currently experiencing an increase in business enquiries and the number of interested clients. “The online presence and enlisting local distributors have effectively stabilized the company’s sales, and we are now pursuing prospects to venture into other African markets. Through the program, we learned about the African market standards and began to engage regulators to acquire the necessary compliance requirements,” said Joseph.

Priceless Farms is one of the 40 enterprises from Kenya and Uganda that enrolled in the program aiming to upscale manufacturing SMEs in natural products. The program was implemented by Invest in Africa (IIA) in partnership with GIZ Business Scouts for Development