Patel Chandrakat, the embattled Masaka investor has relocated his businesses to Nakaseke district after attempts to revamp his fruit processing plant failed.
Chandrakat, the owner of the defunct Masaka fruit processing company under the trademark of Creps a soft drink in Kimanya-Kyabakuza in Masaka municipality, is now looking for land for pineapples and vegetable growing.
Flanked by Nakaseke Resident district commissioner Geoffrey Kyomukama, the businessman on Friday explained that he is looking for land for his project which will involve growing pineapples and other vegetables. He adds after growing pineapples for some years he will build a fruit processing plant that will add value to the products from Luweero and Nakaseke districts.
Chandrakat says that the juices from the pineapples and vegetables will be sold in Uganda and in Western countries and thousands of youths in the two districts will be employed in the process.
He explains that he has dropped the Masaka fruit processing factory in because the plant needs huge sums of money to revamp it, which money he has failed to secure.
The machinery at the factory which he acquired in 1997 from Masaka cooperative union has been dormant and his application for a US$7.5 million loan from the World Bank to procure new equipment was rejected on technical grounds that he couldn’t meet.
He notes that since 1999, he has been petitioning President Yoweri Museveni but attempts to meet him over the matter have not been successful.
Chandrakat refused to reveal the money that he is willing to inject in fresh developments but says that he will partner with other colleagues to make the project a success.
The Nakaseke Resident RDC Geoffrey Kyomukama says the district is proud of the new investment and pledged massive support for the investor.
James Ssendagire, a pineapple farmer in Luweero welcomed the investor saying farmers in the area lack a fruit processing plant for their produce and they end up being exploited in the markets.
According to Luweero agriculture department, there are over 1800 acres of pineapples in the district and 98% of the pineapples are sold without value addition.
