Evelyne Anite the Minister of State for Finance has asked media and Ugandans to be supportive to both local and foreign investors in the country.
The State Minister, speaking at a Free Zone license granting ceremony for Rosebud Ltd and Premiere Roses that took place at the Rosebud ltd premises in Entebbe, noted that investors complement government in development especially in employment creation.
“When media writes negatively about Sudhir or any other investor, know that you are indirectly attacking thousands of Ugandans that work at their company as well as the economy because when one investment fails, Uganda loses millions,” she added.
Uganda Free Zone Authority (UFZA) on Friday granted Rosebud and Premier Roses companies owned by Sudhir Ruparelia a free zone developers license and the two companies will start exporting flowers without paying any taxes.
Fred Kiwanika, the chairman of UFZA noted that the Authority was created in 2014 with the aim of spearheading, overseeing and establishment of the free zones to promote exports and boast the economy and created jobs.
“Ruphereria group has earned this license. Their aims are within our mandate of creating employments to Ugandans. We ask you to continue being compliant to the rules and regulations of UFZA,” Kiwanika said.
Rajiv Ruparelia, the managing director at Rosebud, said the free zone status will go a long way in helping these two companies to go forward.
The son to Sudhir Ruparelia added that the companies have been facing stiff competition from Kenyan and Ethiopian producers who export flowers cheaply because they have easy access to the Indian ocean.
“Uganda being a landlocked country, our only means of exporting these flowers has been air transport which is costly. Now we are going to concentrate on expanding flower production. We want to be able to employ over 1.5m Ugandans in the next five years,” Rajiv said.
The management appreciated the government of Uganda for continuing to create an enabling environment for investors to grow their businesses while providing employment opportunities to Ugandans.
Rosebud also awarded its best hardworking employees by providing them a certificate and a cheque.
Rosebud ltd and Premiere Roses are the biggest exporters of flowers in Uganda, exporting over 180m stands per year to over 10 countries and employing over 5000 Ugandans at the moment.
