Coffee stakeholders in Bugisu attending the meeting
Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has embarked on sensitizing coffee farmers across the Bugisu region about the proposed registration of coffee farmers nationwide. The team from UCDA spent three days, from Wednesday to Saturday last week, moving to farmers and coffee buyers to inform them about the advantages of being registered.
While speaking to the media at the Wash and Wills Hotel located at the Industrial City Division in Mbale city on Saturday, Gerald Kyalo, Director of Development Services at UCDA, stated that the registration exercise is going to commence in two weeks, which is why they are encouraging farmers to embrace it. He explained that during the registration exercises, they will measure the coffee plantations, register the name of the village where it is found and the name of the farmer, among other details.
John Musila, the Vice Chairperson of Bugisu Cooperative Union, welcomed the registration, saying it will help the government plan for its farmers. He urged farmers to cooperate with the government and embrace the exercise to improve coffee growing.
Sandra Kibooli Nakayenze, the Executive Director of Kalaa Mugosi, a women’s coffee enterprise located at Busita Sub County in Sironko District, acknowledged the benefits of the exercise but emphasized that the government must provide deeper sensitization to farmers beforehand.
Titus Wanyala, a coffee farmer from Zesui Sub County in Sironko District, expressed concerns about the exercise, fearing that the government might be targeting to take over their plantations. He suggested that UCDA should extend the registration period beyond two weeks to ensure all farmers are well-informed about the advantages of the exercise.
He also urged the government to provide pulp machines to all coffee farmers at the village level as a means of improving coffee production.
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