Low Arabica Coffee Exports Blamed On Tree Aging

UGANDA – In the recent released report, Uganda’s agriculture skyrocketed as the country registered an increase in coffee export.

During the month of June 2021, Uganda exported a total of 61,838,860 kilograms of coffee valued at US$ 58.56 million at an average weighted price of US$ 1.58 kilo,1cent lower than US$1.59/kilo in May 2021.

Despite the general increase in coffee export, Arabica coffee registered a decline while Robusta increased in quality and quantity.

According to the report, Robusta coffee increased by 63.89% and 72.56% in quantity and value respectively, while Arabica coffee exports decreased in both quantity and value by 29.93% and 23.16% respectively.

The increase of Robusta coffee was attributed to newly planted coffee seedlings during the month of June 2021, after numerous infectious pests and diseases such as Black Coffee Twig Borer (BCTB), Coffee Berry Borers (CBB), Coffee Stem Borer (CSB), Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR), and mealy bugs were reported in Robusta growing areas.

“Increasing Robusta exports during the month compared to the previous year were due to newly planted coffee which started yielding, supported by favorable weather. By the end of May, an accumulative total of 2,815,833 coffee seedlings were distributed for planting under the coffee rehabilitation and renovation programme,” reads part of the report.

The report also indicates that Arabica coffee monthly exports continued to reduce compared to the previous year as a result of the off-year biennial cycle characteristic of Arabica coffee.

Speaking to Asaph Bainomugisha, the Treasurer Nyeibingo Co-operative Society, a cooperative which deals in coffee production in Bushenyi district, Robusta coffee is dominantly grown at lower elevations (<1400m) such as central and northern Uganda while Arabica coffee is predominantly cultivated at higher elevations (>1400m) in parts of eastern, southwest and northwest Uganda, said Bainomugisha.

“Arabica coffee production is low because it is grown in hilly areas and even its demand is low letting the increment to go down. Like in Uganda, it is in Busoga, Kasese and some few parts of Uganda” says Bainomugisha.

He adds that Arabica coffee is also hindered by unfavorable soil properties such as high soil PH and excessive number of shade trees in the East, high soil magnesium concentration and poor mulching systems.

John Nuwagaba, the General Manager Ankole Coffee Producers Cooperative Union (ACPCU), confirmed that areas where Arabica grows well are limited in Uganda while the traditional coffee types keep increasing the population pressure.

Nuwagaba adds that the challenge has been mainly Arabica coffee aging trees that were not affected by coffee wilt disease.

“Because of coffee wilt that attacks mostly Robusta trees, there has been a lot of replanting and less tree replanting on the side of Arabica coffee which is resistant to coffee wilt. This means that Robusta has got more young trees which are more productive than the Arabica areas.”

On the issue of quality, Nuwagaba says that Arabica coffee handling is more sensitive which most farmers have not practiced.

“Like in Kasese, until recently the handling was still poor and this causes a decline in the quality standards of Arabica coffee,” he said.

Nuwagaba adds that the weather changes and disastrous floods like what happened in Kasese destroyed Arabica coffee plantings that resulted into low productivity on the export market.

“In Kasese, floods washed away coffee trees and farmers have limited acreage unless we take Arabica coffee to new areas where we can have varieties that can grow in much lower altitude to boost the production,” Nuwagaba emphasized.

However, Emmanuel Ssenyonga, the General Manager Masaka Cooperative Union says, the union registered an increase in Arabica coffee production at their facility.

“Here at our factory, there was an increase of Arabica coffee by 7% because in Masaka region, it has been its season but I must admit that there has been a deliberate increase in acreage under Robusta coffee and its increase is still going up” says Ssenyonga.

He again attributes the increase in Robusta coffee on better post handling practices by farmers.

“There has been a growing concern on the quality as well because people no longer dry their coffee on the bare ground basing on the going restrictions. In Masaka Cooperative Union, we have been providing tumplines to our farmers where they dry their coffee and several other cooperatives are doing it,” Ssenyonga explained.

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Arabica coffee fetched an average price of US$ 2.62 per kilo, 14 cents higher than in May 2021. The highest price was Mt. Sustainable Arabica, Fully Washed Sipi Falls sold at US$ 5.37 per kilo higher than Washed Robusta sold at an average price of US$ 1.96 per kilo.

“Our buyers do the blending where they get 50% Robusta and 50% Arabica, roast it and grind together to get the blended coffee. But because Arabica is scarce in the market, they put like 40% Robusta from Uganda then 60% Arabica from America or Brazil yet they like coffee coming from the same source, a reason I think why Arabica yields high price in the international market” Yekonia Tumwijeho, the Human Resource Manager(HRM),” ACPCU recommends.

Tumwijeho says despite doing well in Robusta coffee, the union is also advancing to Arabica coffee in the region.

“In Rubirizi and Buhweju, we are going there because we want Arabica coffee since most of our customers are asking for Arabica. Recently we also held a discussion with organizations from Bugisu who have very good Arabica coffee so we intend to tap there since we are not limited by operation so that we can establish a branch by doing the processing and export from that side,” the HRM explains.

On his part, Nuwagaba encouraged farmers in hilly areas to prune their coffee so that they can be motivated on incentives to improve production.

According to UCDA’s report through Uganda Coffee Federations (UCF), Global coffee production for 2020/21 is estimated to increase by 0.3% to 169.5 million bags while the consumption is estimated to increase by 1.9% to 167.24 million bags.

In Uganda, coffee exports are projected to be 650,000 bags as the main harvesting period in greater Masaka and South Western regions is in the months of July 2021.

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Bwijanga Launches Construction Of A Coffee Processing Machine

MASINDI – Bwijanga Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Limited in Bwijanga Sub County, Masindi district has launched the construction of a coffee processing machine.

According to the Masindi District Engineer, Atugonza Ramek the construction work of the coffee processing machine is going to be conducted by Kona Construction Company Limited and will be supervised by Masindi District Local Government Authorities.

“The facility will house the coffee processing machine, offices and the store. We are also going to construct a one stance latrine,” the engineer explained on Wednesday during the ground breaking ceremony in Kikingura village Bwijanga sub-county.

Benedicto Ssensaga, the chairman of Bwijanga Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Limited said that the Ministry of Agriculture sent them Shs 203 million under the Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP) to facilitate the establishment of the machine.

“We were tasked to contribute 33% before we are given the money. We successfully raised the percentage and we contributed it in form of materials,” explained Ssensaga.

He added that the machine is going to address the issue of market since they’re going to be able to add value to their coffee noting that they have not been benefiting from their coffee because they would sell it as a raw material.

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“This machine is going to also boost coffee growing, create employment opportunities and also stir up development in the area. We thank the government for the support rendered to us. We are going to use this opportunity to develop ourselves,” he noted.

Mudede James, the LC III Chairperson Bwijanga sub-county asked the members of the cooperative to closely monitor the construction of the facility to avoid shoddy work.

“Make sure that you own this facility and closely monitor its construction. This facility is yours so make sure that you use it to change your lives,” said Mudede.

He also asked the contractor to give jobs to the local people such that the community can also benefit.

Nyendwoha Kiiza Kenneth the Member of Parliament Bujenje Constituency, challenged extension officers at Masindi District Local Government to help coffee cooperatives in the district to produce quality coffee which can be competed for in the market.

He said that many people are growing coffee but the quality being produced is bad because they don’t get extension services.

“We put a lot of emphasis on extension services because it’s necessary. Don’t stay in offices but also, you should go to the field and tell farmers what to do. Most of the farmers are there in the villages and they don’t know what to do,” stressed Nyendwoha.

Byaruhanga Cosmas, the Masindi district LCV said he has started achieving his mission of ensuring that cooperatives are uplifted.

“I told you during my term, I want to ensure that we have active cooperatives. I want to ensure that all cooperatives which collapsed are revived. We need to trace all these cooperatives to ensure that they are resurrected,” he explained.

Tibasimwa Dominic the Deputy Resident District Commissioner-DRDC Masindi pledged total support to the cooperative by the government noting that in case there’s any opportunity, they will be the first to be thought about.

Kikingura Coffee Farmers Cooperative which started in 2018 apparently has 1,050 active members and according to Ssensaga, this season they have experienced unreliable weather patterns which have significantly affected production more especially this season.

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Gulu Cooperatives Lose Money To Fake Agricultural Deals.

GULU – Hundreds of cooperative farmers in Gulu district have lost millions of shillings to fake agricultural deals in the Agricultural Cluster Development Project (ACDP).

ACDP is a partner project of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and World Bank.

The project was rolled out in the country in 2017 to raise farm productivity, support value addition, widen market accessibility and capacity building for farmers.

The government mapped out 57 implementing districts in the geographic cluster with each cluster having a minimum of 5 districts and 150 million dollars was allocated for the project.

The 2020 report from Ministry of Agriculture indicates that up to shs 21.7 billion has so far been disbursed to support 111 farmer organizations in the 24 pilot districts.

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The districts include Amuru from Acholi Sub Region, Iganga from Central, Nebbi from West Nile Sub Region, Kalungu and Ntugamo from Western Uganda.

Gulu district among the implementing districts was aligned in cluster 6 with Oyam, Kole, Lira, Nwoya, Amuru and Apac to focus on maize, bean and Robusta coffee as enterprise crop selection.

In the arrangement, a beneficiary of the project is expected to meet 33% of project cost as the government provides 67% of services through an electronic voucher system.

However, whereas the project was designed within the National Development Plan III on poverty eradication; hundreds of farmers have lost millions of shillings to the project in Gulu district.

Moses Omony, the Chairperson Tidi Mamyero Farmers’ Cooperative in Bungatira Sub County alleged that the district has collected over shs 148 million from the different farmers but failed to provide the services.

Omony explained that each of the members was to get seeds, fertilizers, tents and other farm inputs in 2020, which have never been delivered as the district failed to account for the money collected.

Terencio Ocitti, a member of Pur Ber Cooperative Society, says he had paid Shs 148,500 for the fertilizers, seeds and tent but received none of the items for more than a year now.

“I have planted four hectares of beans without fertilizers and I can’t believe that the government can defraud us that way,” Ocitti told theCooperator in a recent interview.

Agnes Akwero, another farmer from Lawiyadul has expressed disappointment with the District Agricultural Department for failing the project whose objectives she says were beneficial.

Geoffrey Anywar, the Gulu District Agricultural Engineer distanced himself from the mess and blamed it on the project facilitators, whom he says were to identify the beneficiaries.

He disclosed that the lead project coordinator Simon Ocaka Lamex breached the project guidelines and collected an unspecified amount from the farmers and disappeared.

According to him, each of the farmers should have opened an account where a secret pin would be provided to deposit the money and then access the inputs from the government.

“The farmers didn’t follow the guidelines and opted for short cuts which we can’t tell how much money they have collected and lost to the facilitators,” Anywar said.

When summoned for three consecutive crisis meetings, Lamex admitted to collecting the money but asked the district to grant him time to look for the money and refund it.

The accused did not even disclose to the district officials on the number of the farmers he had reached out to and collected money from.

The district had set out a plan to auction his piece of land to recover the money within a period of two weeks as investigations into the number of the beneficiaries defrauded expanded.

Meanwhile, Christopher Opiyo Atekere, the Gulu district chairman similarly noted that the district has failed to access the password through which the farmers were registered.

According to the Agricultural Engineer, the district was to register about 5,000 farmers for the project while the paperwork is showing over 1,000 farmers have already been registered.

The Public Relations Manager for Ministry Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Charlotte Kemigyisha says the ministry is already following up on the irregularities in the project.

“We have been informed about the project and we shall be in the district soon to follow up on the allegations,” Kemigyisha disclosed to theCooperator.

The 4 year-project was scheduled to end in March last year with a total of 193 farmers organizations targeted to benefit but it was extended by one year following Covid-19 pandemic.

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Uganda Registers Increase In Coffee Exports

UGANDA – Uganda has again registered an increase in coffee exports in June 2021, despite an overall contraction in international trade as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A report from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) yesterday indicates that Uganda bagged a total of 618,38860 kilograms of coffee valued at US$58.56million were exported in June 2021 at an average weighted price of US$1.58kilogram, 1cent lower than US$1.59/kilo in May 2021.

This is the second time Uganda is recording an increase in coffee export as the country registered an increase of 477,561 60-kilogram bags worth US $45.87M [Shs 171bn] in March 2020.

However, according to Dr. Lyamulemye Emmanuel, the Managing Director, UCDA, this is the first time Uganda is recording the highest amount of coffee ever exported in a single month since 1991.

“I am pleased to report that in Financial Year 2020/21 the coffee sub-sector rose above the year’s challenges to record the highest number of exports. In June alone, Uganda exported 618,388 60 kg bags of coffee worth US$ 58.56 million and now a total of 6.1 million 60 kg bags of coffee worth US$ 559.26 million in a single month in 30 years.” Says Lyamulemye

He says the export figures represent an increase of 47.04% and 46.63% in quantity and value respectively compared to the same month last year.

“By comparing quantity of coffee exported by type in the same month of last coffee year (June2020), Robusta increased by 63.89% and 72.56% in quantity and value respectively, while Arabica exports decreased in both quantity and value by 29.93% and 23.16% respectively” says Lyamulemye

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) Composite Indicator price increased by 4.6% to 141.03US cents/lbin June 2021 from US cents/lb134.78US cents/lbin May 2021.

According to UCDA’s Managing Director, accomplishment is attributed to increased yields from newly planted coffee, favorable weather and a positive trend in global coffee.

He says the government’s effort in supplying over 1.5 billion seedlings as an addition to the already existing 220 million coffee plantings has tremendously led to the increase of coffee exportation.

“Over the last five years, the government has deliberately been delivering free coffee seedlings to the farmers and many of them who took on the planting have now increased the production. But the increase also came with more support in extension services by providing farmers with knowledge to understand that coffee is a business which can actually transform their livelihood” Lyamulemye explains

He also says that Uganda’s coffee earned a high demand in international countries as many people do survive on it during Covid-19.

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“Whereas all over US were moving in a lockdown, people in Italy and United States who were used to drinking coffee in the restaurants were actually having home deliveries and that brought more volumes from Ugandan market of coffee” says Lyamulemye

UCDA is a statutory body established to facilitate increase in quality coffee production, productivity, and consumption. So, the increase of export is part of the journey to Uganda Coffee Development Authority’s milestone says Dr Lyamulemye.

We appreciate our stakeholders including the smallholder farmers, processors, traders, roasters, exporters and consumers of Uganda coffee for this feat. My appreciation also goes out to the UCDA staff who work tirelessly to ensure that we are an agency that is firmly in control of its future and its aspiration to achieve the target of producing 20 million bags by 2025.” he said.

Lyamulemye however says the coffee sector still suffers with lack of enough containers for coffee loading during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We had a challenge of few containers to load coffee. This was because cargo trucks were being delayed at the borders as drivers were being tested for Covid-19”

UCDA anticipates that in a year 2025-2030 Uganda should reach the 20million bags a year export target with this financial year’s 600 million bags representing 30% of estimate.

“In the next five years, we want to see coffee exports reaching 20 million bags. We want to phase out the distribution of seedlings and focus on productivity per tree. We also want to see Ugandans appreciating a cup of coffee and the consumption moving from the current 6% per capita to 15%. It is our dream as UCDA to see Ugandans walking on the streets and in villages feeling proud to be involved in the coffee value chain”. Lyamulemye emphasized.

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Masaka Cooperative Union gears up to resume coffee export

The Masaka Farmers’ Cooperative Union is undertaking comprehensive restructuring aimed at resuscitating its coffee export potential.

Registered in 1951, the union was established to strengthen coffee farming and marketing in the greater Masaka sub region. In the 1980s it suffered immense losses as result of the political unrest that befell the country, losses for which the union is currently awaiting full compensation from the government.

TheCooperator has established that in the first two quarters on this financial year, government disbursed Shs 6.3 bn to Masaka Cooperative Union as part payment of the Shs 17.4 bn owed it.

The cash injection comes as a boon for the Union which is working towards reviving its glory in the coffee export business.

Emmanuel Ssenyonga, the Union’s General Manager says their aim is to resume and sustain the union’s coffee export business before this year ends.

The compensation monies received so far are being utilized to reestablish the Union’s strength and explore their business plans, according to Ssenyonga.

“We had earlier undertaken efforts to revive the unions by remobilizing our primary societies to boost their production capacities. When the government finally released part of the money, it came as complement to the efforts and plans we had started rolling out,” he noted.

In the meantime, the Union has stocked at least 13 tons of processed coffee which, Ssenyonga says, is lays a strong foundation for their coffee exports.

To this end, he adds, the Union has already ordered for modern coffee processing and grading machinery from Germany, to be installed in the union’s new factory structure currently under construction at Kijjabwemi zone at the outskirts of Masaka Municipality.

Lawrence Majwala, the Union’s Secretary says that the hi-tech machinery they acquired will facilitate production of high quality coffee and enable them meet international standards.

“We have so far paid 70 percent of the 1.4 billion shillings for the batch of the machinery which is already being shipped. In addition to this, there is another section of the dryer and a colour-sorter that will also be brought in to have a complete factory here,” Majwala said.

Before its disintegration in the mid 1980s, Masaka Coffee Cooperative Union was among the country’s main coffee exporters, generating substantial incomes that contributed to the union’s expansion and asset growth.

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Napak farmers reap big from cassava growing

Former cattle rustlers-turned crop farmers in Napak district are reaping big from cassava-growing in Karamoja, theCooperator has learned.

Cassava, a staple food for many communities in the rest of Uganda, was initially not a familiar crop in Karamoja, but was gradually adopted as a food crop as the traditionally pastoralist communities gradually began to lead settled lives.

John Lokut, one of the transformed farmers told theCooperator that many of his peers initially had very little knowledge about the crop, and only took to it after their cattle rustling expeditions were stopped by government.

“For sure we had no idea that cassava was being grown because those days when I was still a cattle(rustler), I could see cassava like it was a wild plant in the bush. I didn’t know that people grow it until one of my friends from Teso taught me on how to plant cassava stems, “he says.

Lokut has since emerged as one of the leading cassava growers in Napak, and recently teamed up with a host of other members to form a cooperative – Amedek cassava growers amongst whom they have jointly saved up shs.10million from selling cassava.

Joseph Mudong, the Chairman of the group told thecooperator that in 2018, he advised each member to grow at least one acre of cassava from which they jointly earned shs.4million. “That is when we saw that it (cassava growing) is profitable, and decided to invest the money in tilling more land,” he says.

He explained that with joint-farming proving profitable, they decided to form a formal group in 2009, which has since grown from 3 to now 20 members.

Grace Nachap, a member of the group and mother of eight told theCooperator that ever since she started Cassava growing two year ago, her family’ standard of living has improved. She said she can now pay fees for her three children in Moroto High School as well as for one waiting to join secondary when schools re-open. “I used to grow sorghum but it has never given me the money that I have got from Cassava growing,” She says.

Andrew Loucho, another member of the group says that market for cassava has also progressively grown and that now customers come to as far as their gardens to buy the cassava before it is even harvested. He said they pack three cassava tubers at shs. 3,000, and on daily basis receive between 10 to 40 customers from Moroto, Napak and Kotido wanting to buy cassava.

“What we are now pushing for is for government to give us at least one tractor. This would help us till much bigger land, and we would be supplying cassava to the whole of Karamoja region,” Loucho says.

Joseph Lomonyang, the district LCV chairperson called upon government to consider setting up irrigation projects in the area, noting that there’s increasingly vast farming potential in the area now that the communities have settled down.

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Ministry of Agriculture to construct post-harvest handling facilities in 57 Districts

Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries(MAAIF) has started on constructing storage facilities and rehabilitation of road chokes in farmer communities across the country.

The development was revealed by the State Minister for Animal Husbandry Bright Rwamirama while commissioning the first cluster of construction works for community post-harvest handling and rehabilitative works on farm access road choke points at Ruhaama area cooperative enterprise in Ntungamo district.

The 57-district Agriculture Cluster Development Project(ACDP) is being funded by the World Bank to the tune of $150 million. Rwamirama says that when the 57 pilot districts are done, the project will be extended to cover the rest of the country.

He told theCooperator that government is moving away from giving free inputs to farmers because it has proved unsustainable in the long run, and that focusing on post-harvest handling and market-enabling infrastructure will address critical challenges like storage, low level of value addition and poor access to markets due to bad road networks.

“We recognise that a competitive, profitable and sustainable agricultural sector can be achieved through various strategies, and the ACDP is one of them because it focuses on creating a link between the producer and the market,” he says.

The post-handling facilities are particularly targeting 5 of the traditional crops grown in most of Uganda, ie Beans, Cassava, Coffee, Maize and Rice, and Rwamirama hopes the facilities can motivate their increased production.

Min Rwamirama Commissioning the construction of a storage facility in Masha Sub County Isingiro District district on Friday.Photo by Joshua Nahamya.

He says the ACDP is particularly targeting organised farmer groups and cooperatives which aggregate farmer produce and carry out common marketing. In Western Uganda, project implementation has started in Isingiro and Ntungamo districts. In Ntungamo, the project is supporting four farmer cooperatives to the tune of shs. 940 Million.

The beneficiaries are; Kitembe Farmers Group, Ruhaama Area Cooperative Enterprise, Nyakyera Rukoni Area Co-operative Ltd and Kashate Gamba Nokora Group.

In Isingiro, 9 cooperatives have been identified and supported to the tune of shs.1.6billion. One of the storage facility in Masha sub county, Isingiro district is projected to store about 200 metric tonnes of produce, while the one in Ruhama sub county in Ntungamo is expected to store up to 300 metric tons.

Rwamirama urged farmers embrace farmer groups and cooperatives to be able to benefit from such government projects. “There are many more projects to come,” he said, adding, “By April, 2020, my ministry had signed grant agreements with 118 Farmer organizations from 24 of the 57 pilot districts and funds have been disbursed to most of these organizations.”

He urged the identified cooperatives to put the funds to good use, warning, “We(MAAIF) shall not tolerate any abuse of these funds by either the grant beneficiaries or the contractors of the works.”

Regarding transport infrastructure, the Minister noted that rehabilitation works on Road Chokes would soon begin in the districts of Isingiro, Amuru, Iganga, Nebbi, and Ntungamo. “Contracts worth shs.14.5 billion have been signed with respective contractors,” he said.

“I again caution you (contractors) to do quality work. Our technical teams from the ministry and the district should ensure that there is value for money in the works executed,” Rwamirama added.

Kababo Byabagyenyi, the Chairperson Rukuuba Farmers’ Cooperative Society thanked MAAIF for supporting Isingiro farmers with a post-harvest handling facility, noting that, “This facility will actually become a bulking centre, a storage facility and a marketing centre where the sorting, grading, cleaning and bagging will be best done.”

He assured MAAIF officials that his cooperative had already mobilized 20 farmer groups who will be trained in good agronomic practices for particularly beans, to be able to take advantage of the market across the border in in Tanzania.

Gertrude Nakacwa another farmer in Isingiro also welcomed the storage facility, noting that farmers would now be able to hold out for good prices for their produce, which would mean improved incomes. She however appealed to MAAIF to also think about pest-control interventions, noting that in addition to persistent droughts, pests were now one of the gravest threats to farming in Isingiro district.

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