Entebbe, Uganda | July 28, 2025 – The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) and the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences (JAAS) of China signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to establish the China-Uganda Joint Laboratory for Sustainable and High-Efficiency Premium Tea Production.
The agreement was formalized at NARO’s Headquarters in Entebbe by Dr. Yona Baguma, NARO’s Director General, and Dr. Yang Yiyang, JAAS Director.The partnership will establish a state-of-the-art laboratory at NARO’s Rwebitaba Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute in Fort Portal, Uganda’s national hub for tea research. This collaboration aims to transform Uganda’s tea sector through advanced research, innovation, and knowledge exchange.
Despite its vast potential, Uganda’s tea industry faces challenges such as declining productivity from aging tea bushes, limited access to improved planting materials, pests and diseases, poor agronomic practices, and minimal value addition, which restricts the country to exporting raw tea. Inconsistent quality, outdated processing methods, and limited research investment have further hindered Uganda’s global competitiveness. The partnership with JAAS, a globally renowned agricultural research institution, seeks to address these issues with science-driven solutions to unlock the sector’s potential.
Key focus areas include leveraging unique tea germplasm from Uganda and China for breeding programs, researching tea agronomy, soil fertility, pest and disease management, and promoting crop improvement and plant health. The initiative will also drive tea product diversification through value-addition research, standardize tea product specifications to meet international market standards, and enhance research infrastructure at Rwebitaba.
Additionally, the partnership will prioritize capacity building through training tea scientists and professionals, ensuring smooth implementation and exploring future joint projects.Established in 1931, JAAS is a leading Chinese institution in agricultural science, with 16 specialized research institutes, 12 regional branches, and nearly 100 innovation platforms. Its Tea Research Center, part of the Institute of Leisure Agriculture, has pioneered advances in tea research and processing technology globally. JAAS will fund the laboratory project, contributing expertise and infrastructure to support joint scientific efforts.
Dr. Baguma emphasized that the partnership aligns with NARO’s commitment to “innovate for sustainable agricultural transformation” and Uganda’s National Development Plan, which prioritizes agro-industrialization, job creation, and food security. “This collaboration will reposition Uganda’s tea sector by delivering new technologies, high-quality planting materials, and best practices to boost productivity, competitiveness, and earnings for farmers and the nation,” he said, highlighting JAAS’s 40 years of tea research expertise as a vital resource.
Dr. Yang Yiyang, JAAS Director, underscored the focus on quality. “China and Uganda share similarities in agriculture. Together, we can achieve significant progress in this tea project and explore other crops of mutual interest in the future,” he said.
The Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Hon. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja, who accompanied the delegation, praised NARO for the milestone and expressed optimism about redefining Uganda’s tea industry through the new laboratory.The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Deming Li, President of Green World International Group, a delegation from Nanjing Agricultural University, and NARO officials from its headquarters and Rwebitaba.
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