Share this article

Minister Tumwebaze urges Ugandan coffee farmers to organize through associations for better engagement with the government. He recently oversaw the allocation of coffee processing equipment worth two billion shillings to empower 75 farmers. This initiative aims to enhance on-farm processing, leading to improved farm gate prices.

Minister of Agriculture Frank Tumwebaze has advised coffee farmers within the nation to organize themselves more effectively, encouraging the formation of district coffee associations or cooperatives. This strategic alignment is intended to establish a robust structure that facilitates enhanced interactions with the government and various partners.

Tumwebaze made the remarks on Monday 18^th December 2023 while presiding over a ceremony in Kampala, overseeing the allocation of coffee processing equipment and motorized pulpers valued at two billion shillings. This initiative aims to empower 75 coffee farmers and cooperatives in coffee-growing regions, enabling them to add value to their products and bolster their earnings.

These pulpers, furnished by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), possess a processing capacity of one tonne per hour. Minister Tumwebaze emphasized the significance of on-farm primary processing facilitated by these machines, leading to improved farm gate prices. As of the end of September, farm gate prices ranged from 3,800 to 4,200 shillings per kilogram for robusta dry cherries and 7,800 to 8,000 shillings per kilogram for fair average quality coffee.

Uganda’s coffee sector plays a pivotal role, engaging approximately 1.7 million households in coffee farming and providing employment to nearly five million individuals in coffee-related activities.

Notably, Uganda achieved a historic milestone in coffee exports, generating $940.3 million in revenues for the 2022/2023 coffee year, concluding on September 30, 2023. This marked a commendable 7% increase compared to the previous year, attributed to a surge in export volumes.

According to UCDA data, the country exported 6.14 million 60kg bags of coffee in the last financial year, surpassing the 5.86 million bags exported in the preceding year. The robust performance was particularly evident in the robusta variety. Primary destinations for Uganda’s coffee exports included Italy, Germany, India, Sudan, and Morocco, with additional shipments to Tunisia, Somalia, Egypt, Libya, and Kenya.