Introduction of tasty spy pieces in Uganda

Abstract

Tasty Soy Pieces (TSP) is a nutritious, low cost meat substitute food item that is made from soybean combined with maize, salt and spices. Seba Foods from Malawi has developed the product and successfully markets it in Malawi and other countries in southern Africa. A sister company in Zambia has been equally successful. After positive trials in East Africa, Seba wished to expand its market into the area and will do so by establishing a soybean processing line for the production of TSP. This processing plant will be set up together with Export Trading Uganda, the largest buyer of soybeans from Uganda. Currently most of the soybeans bought by Export Trading are exported to other countries where it is processed into food items or other products with an added value.

The central objective of the consortium partners is for the pilot project to create added value for Ugandan soybeans and to introduce TSP into the domestic market. Through a carefully planned marketing strategy based on years of experience in Malawi and Zambia, the Seba Foods-Export Trading Uganda partnership will make TSP a regular part of the diet for a growing number of Ugandan consumers. Copying the successful marketing strategy in Malawi and Zambia, the product will be sold in small packages of around 90-100 grams (serving up to three people).

The production and market supply of TSP will create an increased demand for soy produced by farmers in Uganda and neighbouring Kenya. The plant will be established in the eastern part of Uganda in Tororo near the border with Kenya. The Seba Foods-Export Trading Uganda soy processing factory in Tororo will in due time also be central to the business partners’ expansion into other markets in the region, most notably Kenya, DR Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Sudan.

The PSOM-funded project is viewed as the first step of a phased implementation approach that will comprise market development activities, installation of processing capacity and further improvement in the quality and quantity of raw material supplies (including the implementation of quality assurance systems such as HACCP and GMP).

Upon successful completion of the project a total of 57 jobs will have been created; this number will increase to 70 or more two years after project completion. During the project at least 80 soybean farmers will be contracted to supply raw materials to the factory. In the years following project completion, the joint venture partners will double the processing capacity through an investment in a second processing line. The continuing expansion of TSP production will create a secure demand for soybeans from Ugandan growers. This secure demand in combination with the project’s technical support of farmers will give an important impetus for further growth and development of the soybean supply chain in Uganda.