KAMPALA – In order to implement H. E. the President, Yoweri Museveni’s directive to plant one hundred million coffee seedlings per year in three years starting this financial year 2013/14 (2013-2016), the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) Managing Director, Mr. Henry Ngabirano gave an overview of the coffee industry on 16th August 2013 to Parliamentarians.
He outlined why it was important to invest in coffee and what would be required from each of the major actors in the Coffee Value Chain (CVC) as well as MPs who are opinion leaders/mobilizers to actualize this.
The presentation was preceded by some opening remarks by the Chairman of the Parliamentary Coffee platform, Hon. Matthias Kasamba, MP Kakuuto, who underscored the importance of coffee in Uganda.
In his factual presentation, the MD illustrated Uganda’s position in the global arena, being the 8th globally, the second in Africa and fourth globally specifically in Robusta production.
He reiterated that the global demand for coffee is increasing estimated at 142 million bags in 2012 which provides an opportunity for Uganda as a major origin.
He outlined the importance of coffee nationally as a major foreign exchange earner and a sub-sector which employs close to 7 million people at various levels of the coffee value chain.
Government gives priority to coffee and features predominantly in the Uganda’s Vision 2040, National Development Plan (NDP), Development Strategy and Investment Plan (DSIP) as well as the National Export Strategy (NES). He thanked MPs for being coffee champions who would make implementation and actualization of the President’s desire of planting 300 million seedlings in the next 3 years a reality.
He mentioned the increasing trend in domestic coffee consumption, although still low.
He mentioned various beneficiaries of UCDA interventional programmes to increase production and productivity citing those illustrating those who had received coffee seed and seedlings from UCDA.
He underscored the need for strengthened collaboration between the public (UCDA, NAADS, COREC and other MDAs) and the private sector as well as MPs who had shown zeal and desire to ensure that their constituents plant coffee.
He then outlined what it would require for Ugandans to plant 100 million coffee seedlings per year in the next 3 years.
The key investment will entail the following: procurement of seed and polypots, procurement of seedlings, monitoring and evaluation, costed at Sh. 107.8 billion in 3 years and 35 billion in Financial Year 2013/14 in particular.
In the plenary, the MPs acknowledged UCDA’s intervention and urged the MD and his team to do more.
The key aspects discussed were:
- The large area of operation of UCDA extension officers for instance 1 field officer operates in 8 districts (like Greater Masaka and even those who have fewer districts, the terrain may compromise their efficiency (Kapchorwa and Rukungiri/Kisoro).
- Drought which had affected some regions especially Central Region which would cause a decline of up to 40% loss and decried mitigation means which could be applied
- UCDA was requested to avail more seed and seedlings to the MPs
- The distribution of coffee seedlings and seed should be streamlined to ensure low mortality rates of seedlings given out
- Regarding delay in payment of nursery operators, the MD responded that this was due to a number of factors that included; validation of submitted documents, incomplete submissions and sometimes cashflow.
At the end of the workshop, it was agreed that a coherent strategy be initiated by UCDA in which the Parliamentary Coffee Platform will be a key actor in the planning, soliciting for funding as well as distribution of the coffee seedlings to the beneficiaries.
Source: UCDA
