President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has commissioned the De Heus Fish Feed Factory in Njeru, Buikwe District — the first of its kind in Uganda.
De Heus Uganda, a leading manufacturer and supplier of aquaculture feeds in the country, is part of Royal De Heus, a Dutch family-owned business with over 300 years of experience in milling. Globally ranked among the top ten animal nutrition companies, De Heus is widely known in Uganda through its Koudijs brand, which has been operating in the country since 2018 and dominates several livestock feed categories with its trusted quality.
While commissioning the factory, President Museveni expressed appreciation to De Heus for addressing a critical gap in Uganda’s fish feed production. He revealed that land has already been allocated to the company in Bukalasa to expand into poultry feed production.
The President explained that during his recent tours across the country to monitor the Parish Development Model (PDM), he learned that fish farmers faced a major challenge with feed availability. Initially, he had tasked the UPDF’s National Enterprise Corporation to explore production solutions. However, De Heus’ investment has now relieved the country of that burden.
“This is really a very happy coincidence,” he said. “Recently, I was touring the country checking on our PDM, where fish farming is one of the seven activities for small farmers: coffee, fruits, dairy, food crops, poultry for eggs, piggery, and fish farming. When I was touring, I was told the problem is fish feed. I didn’t know this was a problem because I thought we had planners in the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.”
He added: “But now this is a better solution than the one I was trying through the army company because, first of all, these people are bringing in new capital from outside, which relieves us from finding budget money for the army company to produce the feeds. I will now ring the army people and tell them to do other things. Secondly, these are the people with long experience in how to do it well.”
The President assured the investors of access to affordable raw materials for feed production and reiterated his plan to support rice farmers in wetlands to transition to fish farming on the periphery of wetlands. “Rice growing in the swamps was a big mistake because it affects the rain system of Uganda. It is very dangerous,” he warned.
“I’m eyeing the USD 80 million which the Ambassador has announced here. You empower me so that we can come up with more fish ponds like that in Limoto and then win those people from the swamp to the periphery. We shall have very powerful fish rearing efforts in the whole country because the swamps are so many. They can absorb many of those youths.”
For rice growers unwilling to shift to fish farming, the President advised them to consider upland rice cultivation using irrigation instead. He also highlighted Uganda’s potential for trade with Europe, noting: “I’m happy that the Netherlands have realised the importance of investment in Africa.”
Ministers and Diplomats Praise Uganda–Netherlands Collaboration
The Minister of State for Fisheries, Hon. Hellen Adoa, commended President Museveni for his leadership, which has created a conducive investment environment.
“The biggest challenge we have been having in the Agriculture Ministry is the issue of fish feed. It has been a big challenge. The fish in Uganda has not been having any feed except that we had to import it, but now we manufacture it here,” she said.
H.E. Frederieke Quispel, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Uganda, praised the strong partnership between the two nations: “The collaboration between Uganda and the Netherlands is at its best. Your Excellency, what makes both countries good partners in business, I think, is that we are both historical agricultural nations; our economies are built on agriculture. The Netherlands are the largest Foreign Direct Investor in Uganda.”
She further applauded Uganda’s leadership: “Your Excellency, your vision for Uganda’s economy is very clear and inspiring, and I have to say that you instructed your ambassador very well because the first time I met the Ambassador, we moved along well immediately, and what we talked about mostly was investment; promoting trade and investment between the Netherlands and Uganda. I must say your ambassador has a keen eye for investment opportunities, and I think this factory would not be here without her effort.”
Uganda’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, H.E. Mirjam Blaak Sow, also lauded the Kingdom of the Netherlands for its support: “Since Ambassador Frederieke came to Uganda, she has really shown an energetic and youthful way of handling matters. You are always ready to shake things up where it is needed. We really appreciate it.”
De Heus Leadership Commits to Uganda’s Growth
Mr. Co de Heus, CEO of De Heus Animal Nutrition, explained that to ensure success in developing countries, the company established a professional support organisation in the Netherlands to provide expertise in product management, quality control, animal husbandry training, raw material procurement, ICT, and finance.
“Our investments have always focused on growing demand and the need for capital and know-how. I think this tricky investment field explains to a larger extent why we became successful and became one of the leading animal nutrition companies in the whole world, selling approximately 13 million tonnes of feed this year,” he said.
He noted that providing farmers with quality feeds and the right services has been central to their global success.
De Heus Uganda’s Managing Director, Mr. Bon Tjeenk Willink, thanked President Museveni for his support and highlighted the significance of this investment: “Fish here is not just any other product; it’s a large part of culture, and many Ugandans love it. Uganda is one of the best places for our fish,” he said.
“For the last two years, we have invested nearly USD 25 million and today, before you stands the largest fish feed factory in East Africa. At full capacity, this facility can produce up to 100,000 tonnes of fish feed each year, supporting 7,000–10,000 jobs.”
The event was also attended by the Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President and Buikwe District Woman MP, Hon. Diana Mutasingwa, Members of Parliament, and other leaders.
