Stephen Wandera
28 August 2008
Manufactures of splash juice Britania Allied industries Ltd are eyeing the European market to increase on its market share. According to Britania Allied Industries Ltd, General Manager - Marketing K. R Sridharan, the company is targeting to increase its sales by moving beyond the local and regional markets.
"We command the largest share of the market in Uganda and neighbouring countries like Rwanda, eastern DRC and southern Sudan," he said at a customer appreciation party in Rukungiri town recently. Early this month, Britania's lead brand, Splash Mango won the Ani Mukozi Award organised by the Kampala City Traders Association as the best locally made juice.
Mr Sridharan said mango growers in Uganda have a great opportunity to make money by supplying his factory with standard mango fruits. The supply of the fruit is inadequate and Britania management has hired a consultant to study the situation to devise new methods of growing and supplying the fruits.
More than Shs50 million has been set aside to purchase mango fruits this year. "Following increase in production and demand for mango juice our demand for mangoes has increased too. We now need at least 5,000 tonnes of mangoes annually to meet this demand in the market," said Mr Sridharan.
He said the supplies that they buy locally account for only 30 per cent of their total need and import 70 per cent of Alphonso Totapuri mango pulp from India. Britania has now started model farms to grow Alphonse mangoes in Mukono and Kawanda.
"Alphonso are preferred because they add aroma and taste to the juice and are fibreless and with plenty of flesh and juice," he said. Mr Denis Walter Mbabali, an agronomist said farmers will receive high quality mango seeds and advise on how best to get better yields.
According to Mr Ajay Gupta, the general manager operations, it takes only three years for the Alphonso type of mangoes to mature and once they mature a farmer can harvest between 8-10 tonnes from one mango tree during its peak season.
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