By Francis Otucu
Social media platforms have in the last few weeks been awash with discussions about Uganda’s exit from the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
ICO is the global body which administers the International Coffee Agreement (ICA). ICO controls 98% of the world’s coffee production as well as 67% of the beverage’s total consumption. As such, its membership comprises 50 coffee producing countries and 7 leading importing states.
Until recently, Uganda was a member but the country’s coffee sub-sector developer and regulator, Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), exited Uganda from the organisation. The explanation given to coffee stakeholders is that Uganda exited so that it renegotiates her position for better terms, with previous terms of engagement labeled weak and unhelpful to the country and its coffee farmers and traders.
But based on the backlash in the social media discussions, this explanation is not satisfactory, with many local players arguing that quitting was never the right option. Holders of this argument preferred negotiating from within, not outside ICO.
However, instead of rumbling on social media, the onus is on individual Ugandans to drink coffee and grow the country’s local consumption.
A look at a list of exporting member countries highlights Brazil, Costa Rica and Ethiopia as top coffee producers with a very high consumption of their own coffee.
While Uganda is the 7th leading exporter of coffee globally with over 6 million bags (60kgs each) per year, domestic coffee consumption remains low.
The country’s domestic consumption remains at about 6%, off from 1% a decade ago.
But looking at the bigger players (exporters), they seem to embrace their coffee at home.
Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reports that 50-55% of Ethiopia’s coffee production is consumed domestically. FAS says Ethiopia consumed 3.55 million bags of coffee in 2020/2021.
As for Brazil, a Google search shows that domestically, Brazil consumes 20.3 million bags, an equivalent of 6.12 kilogram of raw coffee beans or 4.89 kilogram of roasted coffee per capita, or an average of 82 liters/year for every Brazilian.
So, can you really grow what you don’t eat or drink?
I put this question on Quora.Com, a question and answer website.
“No, I will never..” Trina Wade responded.
The Universal Council offered a much longer response: “Honestly speaking, there are many people who sell foods they wouldn’t eat. As for whether doing so is ill-intentioned and unethical, it comes down to what’s being sold, the seller and who the prospective buyer is.
Among people with different preferences, selling food one wouldn’t consume is fair and just. In cases where the buyer isn’t valued beyond the means they exchange, it’s safe to assume the seller looks to exploit need, scarcity or standard.”
Personally, while picking fruits from the market for the family, I tend to fall for a vendor eating something from their stock. It encourages me to buy more from them.
So, as we discuss Uganda’s exit from ICO , isn’t it time we drink our own coffee? How do we grow for other people? I gather that Uganda’s coffee goes to Europe to blend other countries’ coffees. Imagine! So, before we even discuss Uganda and ICO, when did you last drink Uganda coffee? While Uganda intends to grow coffee exports to 20 million bags by 2025, it is prudent that we support this journey by drinking our OWN coffee. Needlessly to say, various reports say coffee is a healthy beverage to drink.
Whereas it is important to interest ourselves in what brings in foreign currencies, let’s drink what we produce. Coffee should be a beverage of choice right from homes up to offices.
The writer is a student of Journalism and Communication at Makerere University.
