Following recent expansion, at their 80-hectare farm at Ssisa Subcounty, Wakiso District, Ruparelia Group’s Rosebud, is now looking to China to expand its export market.
Rajiv Ruparelia, the Group Managing Director, who just returned from the recently ended first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, the capital city of central China’s Hunan Province, told CEO East Africa Magazine that his company was looking to adventure into the huge Chinese market.
“China is a huge market and thus requires supplies for its local consumption across all fronts. We are also trying to bridge the trade deficit between Uganda and China; instead of all ways looking at China as a place to buy goods, why not look at it as a place to supply as well?,” Rajiv said.
A total of 84 deals worth USD20.8 billion were reached in trade, agriculture, tourism and other fields during the three-day expo, according Xinhua News Agency- the official state-run press agency of the People’s Republic of China.
Experts, businessmen and officials from China and 53 African countries attended the expo.
Rajiv, said that with 80 hectares, under green houses and 500,000 stems of 16 rose varieties a day, his company was in good position to meet any new demand.
“We currently supply to the European market, but now we are looking to supply our roses into China- it is a huge potential, a huge market. Our main competitive advantage is our consistency, in the supply and production as well as our quality assurance,” he told Chinese media at the expo.
“We can now guarantee our roses to remain fresh for 10 days from the time they arrive in China and if there is a problem, we will replace them for free to our wholesalers or clients,” he said.
Rosebud, who is Uganda’s largest flower exporter, with about 40% of the USD61 million flower export sector, recently upgraded its fully automated irrigation system and added new conveyor belt systems and outdoor cold-room units to improve flower handling.
The company in 2017 received a Free Zone licenses from Uganda Free Zones Authority.
Trade deficit with China
Uganda has a severe deficit with China. Export earnings from China, reached an all-time high of USD66 million in 2014 but have since been in a mixed show, declining to USD27 million in 2016, then picking up slightly and closing 2018 at USD32 million.
Ugandan export earnings from China in 2018 stood at USD32 million compared to a USD1,014 import bill from China.
According to statistics website, https://tradingeconomics.com Uganda’s main exports to China are raw hides and skins and some leather at USD13.59million in 2017. Others, that year were horticulture products (oil seed, fruits, grain, seed and fruits) at USD7.77 million and Coffee, tea, mate and spices USD2.44 million as well as plastics (USD2.20 million).
Flowers and other live plant products only accounted for USD1.13 million.
At USD61 million, export earnings from flowers, the sector is Uganda’s 6th biggest export dollars earner after gold (USD515 million), coffee (USD436 million), fish (USD172 million), maize (USD107 million), beans (USD99 million) and tea (USD89 million).
Although Uganda earned USD132 million from exporting oil products, these were merely re-exports.
Profile: Rajiv Ruparelia (29), Managing Director, Ruparelia Group
Born on January 2, 1990 Rajiv Ruparelia (29 years), graduated in Financial Management from London’s Regent’s University.
In 2017, at the age of 27, the heir-apparent to the Ruparelia Group empire, valued at over USD1 billion was appointed the Group Managing Director, to oversee the group’s 28 different businesses- ranging from financial services, real estate, education services, hospitality, agriculture and media/broadcasting.
He is married to his long-time fiancé Naiya Khagram.
In 2018, he was instrumental in the setting up of Premier Recruitment- a private external labour recruitment company, to tap into the $1.24 billion (UGX4.5 trillion) industry.
Other than leading the group’s expansion, largely in the real estate sector, Rajiv is a businessman in his own right. He, together with his sister, Sheena Ruparelia, also a director in the Group are developing their own very first private residential real estate project- Bukoto Living.
Bukoto Living is a multimillion dollar project, consisting of 9 floors of 27 two, three, four and five bedroom units- all for sale.