Danish firm offers analytical solutions for Ugandan agricultural sector

UGANDA – Danish firm FOSS Analytics has offered a fresh cut into the Ugandan market with analytical solutions helping food, feed and agricultural industries optimize quality, efficiency and profitability with best-in-class automated and connected solutions.

During a three-day visit organized by the Danish Trade Council, representatives of five Danish companies explored development cooperation relevant to their businesses in the agriculture sector, to understand the dynamics of the agricultural sector as a business in Uganda and visited farmers and big agricultural firms in the country.

Always at the forefront of analytical technology development, FOSS provides a range of analytical solutions from laboratory to at-line and in-line solutions. The analytics measure the level of protein in dairy products, scan meat to determine fat contents and check for unwanted objects such as bone splinters, measure sugar levels in grapes, the moisture in grain, and help decide whether the cow gets the right feed, is healthy, and produces good and nutritious milk.

“It does not matter whether it is wheat, milk, wine, sugar or meat, we analyze the incoming raw materials. What we are trying to teach in Uganda for dairy, for example, is that we should pay for quality not for quantity. Meaning, in milk, the most important factors are fat content and the protein content. We are trying to teach the farmers that the better milk, the more money they get,” Michael Vinther Moller, Area Sales Manager for Africa and Middle East, FOSS Analytics.

Michael highlighted that by using the company’s instruments, customers can be able to get more quality than the quantity with the analysis time taking 45 seconds. He said the same instruments can be used to optimize production because the fat is the money in the milk.

“We also have digital services among our offerings which means we can link all the dairies in Uganda. We can manage the quality from Denmark, if we want to do that,” he added.

FOSS has a database with half a million samples giving them leverage in spotting adulterated milk.

The company first sent a delegation to Uganda in 2019 where they met with Brookside to establish a cooperation. However, Michael has paid several visits to Uganda for the past 15 years to lay ground for investment plans in Tororo and Kampala.

“We also have digital services among our offerings which means we can link all the dairies in Uganda. We can manage the quality from Denmark, if we want to do that.”

According to him, Africa especially East Africa has no regulations tying food companies to comply with certain standards, hence FOSS Analytics looks forward to offer their services to government institutions.

“We are seeking to find if there is anything we can do to help with standards bodies. We also have a new product that has been launched in India, a portable milk analyzer that is very cheap which I want to see if it can fit the African market. I know in Uganda it is about finances. The dairy companies can equip their collection centres with this kind of equipment,” he said.

Given the premium nature of the company’s solutions, it intends to bring affordable equipment for the African market to open up low entry points for the collection centres.