Parliament has granted the House Committee on Agriculture more time to continue with consultation on the controversial National Coffee Bill, 2018.
Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has given the Committee of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries 45 days more, to complete studies to make conclusive consideration of the National Coffee Bill 2018.
The Chairperson of the Committee, Hon. Okori-Moe Janet, told the House that they had began considering the Bill at the beginning of July 2019, and the 45 days provided in the Rules of Procedure had elapsed yet consultations were still on-going.
“Owing to the controversial nature of the Bill, the Committee had resolved to visit Central, Western, Eastern and West Nile regions for proper representation of views,” Okori-Moe said during the sitting on Wednesday 18 September 2019.
She said that consultations had so far been carried out in Kalungu, Bushenyi and Kasese districts in western Uganda, with seven scheduled districts still pending.
“The Bill seeks to specifically provide for the regulation of the entire value chain in the coffee sub-sector from planting, through harvesting, up to marketing and related matters.
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga said the Bill is important as it affects Ugandans who are directly involved in the coffee sector, both in farming and production.
“It is necessary that consultations are adequately carried out, so this House will grant you this period to complete your work on the Coffee Bill,” said Kadaga.
