Regulatory guidelines

Normal export procedures for goods and commodities apply to the shea sector. As such, exports of Nilotica shea butter and Nilotica shea nuts from Uganda are not restricted, and an export license is not required. A Certificate of Origin can be applied for by the exporter if desired

Most shipping of Nilotica shea products from Uganda is done by airfreight. Since Uganda is a landlocked country with no harbour, all sea freight is handled through either Mombasa or Dar es Salaam.

Full container loads (about 15 tonnes, depending on the packaging method) take approximately 3 to 4 weeks to reach Rotterdam. Shipments smaller than a full container are consolidated at the port with other goods going to the same destination, which can cause delays of several months.

For women in Northern Uganda, the shea sector provides important economic opportunities. Increasingly, this has also been acknowledged by the government. A government policy is being developed to encourage the growth of the sector with the goal of generating additional income for rural women, creating employment in both rural and urban areas for the poor, and generating foreign exchange.

As a result, there have recently been multistakeholder initiatives focused on the sector, including the Kidepo Critical Landscape Project, executed under the Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB), which led to the development of the UNBS standards.

Stakeholders involved in the sector include:

• Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries – www.agriculture.go.ug

• Ministry of Trade – www.mtic.go.ug

• Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) – www.unbs.go.ug

• Uganda Export Promotion Board (UEPB) – www.ugandaexports.go.ug

• Ugandan research institutes, such as the Ngetta Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Lira – www.naro.go.ug

• Various NGOs and international organisations supporting the development of the shea sector

• Producers, processors, harvester groups, cooperatives, and supporting stakeholders such as private laboratories and business incubators

Although progress is being made, there is currently no unified platform or association that brings together all these stakeholders under one umbrella.