Premier Roses Ltd the country’s largest exporter of roses, commanding around 40% of Uganda’s export market has once again expressed its support to the vulnerable communities of Uganda by donating over 2000 mattresses to its staff that were hugely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite having gone through terrible days of COVID-19 that affected their production, the huge donation was handed over by Rajiv Ruparelia on behalf of the entire board of directors of the company yesterday at the donation ceremony to their staff.

“Very proud day, especially seeing smiles on the faces of members of the 10 community villages employed by Rosebud receiving 2000 mattresses. The effects of the pandemic have been huge & we are here to support no matter what,” said Rajiv.

Very proud day, especially seeing smiles on the faces of members of the 10 community villages employed by Rosebud receiving 2000 mattresses. The effects of the pandemic have been huge & we are here to support no matter what. pic.twitter.com/O63WJzs0f7

— Rajiv Ruparelia (@RajivRuparelia) August 6, 2021

“We now have international certification which means Uganda now exports quality flowers to all major markets. We have also attained fair trade standards which means we sell at good value which benefits the country and our workforce, Rajiv Ruparelia added.

This, he said, calls for the expansion of the business and in the long run, it will increase revenue for the country and create more jobs.

“The market abroad is very big. Even if we increase the acreage of our farms, we will not satisfy the entire market. This means we need to increase productivity using good farm practices that we have used for many years. If you work hard we shall all benefit as a family,” he said.

Rajiv called for unity and hard work emphasizing the need to amicably address any disagreements that may arise.

“We are a family and trust me your interest is our interest. We are all in this together to ensure your livelihoods are improved. That you can take your children to school and have a good life. So let’s work hard together to achieve together,” he said.

Located in Entebbe, Premier Roses Ltd is the largest exporter of flowers in Uganda and commands around 40% of all the country’s raised exports under its objective of achieving the highest standards of Good Agricultural Produce (GAP), environmental conservation, reduced use of agrochemicals and reduced use of agrochemicals and improved efficiency in the use of natural resources.

The company also focuses on conserving existing habitats and ensuring continual responsibility with regard to the health, safety, and welfare of its employees.

The company’s greenhouses are irrigated by a modern, automated water-pumping unit, which feeds the fully computerized hydroponics systems.

According to Premier Roses Ltd, the following categories of roses are produced: Sweetheart Roses; Valentino (dark red), Viva (bright yellow), Chelsea (orange), Red Calypso (bright red), Meera (champagne), Akito (white).

Others are; Blushing Akito (pink), Raspberry King (dark red), Jambo (bright red) and Intermediate Roses; Ace Pink (pink), Bella Rose (pink), Bella Rose (pink), Sunny Star (yellow), Furiosa (dark red), Tropical Amazone (orange), Banjo (pink), Labelle (peach), Soraya (yellow), Athena (white).

“We have improved our processes in propagation, growing, harvesting, grading, and packaging and export of cut roses. The farm recently upgraded its fully automated irrigation system. It has a 100% Integrated Pest Management and 100% hydroponics system in metal greenhouses with fully recycling technology”. one of the staff noted

“At Premier Roses we aren’t just farmers, we are a company of innovators. Our vibrant colour roses are pleasant to the eye and are unmistakably unique with a 7-day vase life guarantee at the customer point. Our attention to detail, unwavering quality control, and forward-thinking efforts in environmental sustainability makes us stand out from the crowd,” a staff further revealed about the company.

He added, “Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; We at Premier Roses are thankful that thorns have roses.”

According to Rosebud, they are constantly building the capacity of staff in order to reduce damages caused to roses and minimize wastage and rejections.