Representatives of local exporters to the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) are to meet potential customers of their products.

The AGOA Implementation Advisor, East and Central Africa, Jo Ann Sparacino said this while meeting exporters at the SPEED office in Nakasero.

SPEED is a USAID funded project for helping boost exports.

"We are aiming at serious long term relationships, with the buyer as a friend. The buyer knows what is selling and would be able to advise his supplier on what to aim at.

"It would be practical for smaller units to work together as an association or co-operative to be in position to impress such wholesalers. Not as four or five-man units" she told them early this week.

Sparacino also said that intending exporters should try to find out what was 'in' and what was 'out' at any particular time in the US markets and pointed out that certain websites on the Internet were very good at indicating this.