Apparels Tri-Star expects to increase its turnover to $11m (sh19.6b) this year, up from last year's $6m (sh10.6b), a top official said on Friday.

"Maybe this is just a small drop in the ocean, but we feel it is something," Velupillai Kananathan, the managing director, said.

He was speaking during a tour of the Bugolobi-based factory by some students of UPDF's Senior Command and Staff College Kimaki.

Lt Gen David Tinyefuza led the group.

The college's commandant, Maj Gen Ivan Koreta, attended.

Tinyefuza said the tour was part of the course packages in economic, foreign affairs and politics where they look at whether Uganda's national capacity is on course. "We will write a paper which will be incorporated into strategic national policies. We are happy to have seen for ourselves.

We want to assure you of our full support," Tinyefuza said.

He wondered why politicians had opposed the Government's intervention in Tri-Star.

"It could have been out of ignorance. The Government should make more interventions in companies like Tri-Star, which have put Uganda onto the world market," Tinyefuza said.

Tri-Star exports garments to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a US tariff and quote-free trade initiative.

It currently sends 10 to 12 containers or 250,000 to 300,000 pieces per month.

Kananathan said they were booked up to the end of August. He said there was demand for the final product "but setting up a spinning mill is expensive. You need $50m (sh89b) to $60m (sh107b). This is not locally available and it is not easy to attract a foreign investor."

Kananathan said there was pressure from stakeholders to look into the local market but were bound by agreements with foreign buyers.

Latest AGOA Trade Data currently available on AGOA.info


Click here to view a sector profile of Uganda’s bilateral trade with the United States, disaggregated by total exports and imports, AGOA exports and GSP exports.

Other regularly updated trade statistics on AGOA.info include: (click each link to view)