Sheikh Ramadhan Mulindwa Nsanja, the Kadhi of Luwero Muslim District, has entrusted the newly formed seven-member Luwero Muslim District Coffee Project Committee with the task of planting 27 acres of coffee. This directive was issued during a meeting at the Muslim District headquarters in Kasana, Luwero Town Council.
According to Sheikh Mulindwa, the primary purpose of establishing the committee is to oversee and coordinate the implementation of the coffee seedling cultivation program, initiated by the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) headquarters. He emphasized that this project aims to uplift the livelihoods of the Muslim community in Luwero and combat poverty within UMSC structures.
During the meeting, Sheikh Mulindwa highlighted the importance of this initiative, calling it a critical opportunity for the Ummah. He encouraged committee members to actively engage in poverty alleviation and promote the benefits of agricultural development. “We must embrace farming and utilize our land for development programs,” he stated.
He further elaborated, “This initiative is not just about planting coffee; it is about cultivating a future where our community thrives.” The committee, led by Sheikh Ishaq Ssenfuma, has been tasked with ensuring serious oversight of the project. Their first mission will be to plant 27 acres of coffee across the Luwero Muslim District, which includes Luwero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola Districts.
In a related effort, local leaders in Luwero have been encouraging residents to adopt coffee farming. For instance, in August 2024, Rt. Rev. Lawrence Mukasa, the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kasana-Luwero, urged Christians and parishes to embrace coffee farming as a way to boost incomes during his first pastoral visit to Uganda Martyrs’ Catholic Parish Kiwoko in Nakaseke District.
Bishop Mukasa directed each parish in the Diocese to utilize available land for coffee farming, aiming to reduce dependency on congregant contributions. He also encouraged Catholic households to grow coffee to support both their families and church initiatives.
The calls from Bishop Mukasa and Sheikh Mulindwa’s tasking of the coffee project committee align with the Ugandan government’s initiation of a nationwide registration of coffee value chain actors. This effort, launched at the Uganda Media Centre by Minister of Agriculture Frank Tumwebaze, aims to enhance compliance with international standards, particularly for the European Union (EU) market.
The registration is vital for meeting the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which will take effect on December 30, 2024. Under this regulation, any commodities linked to deforestation after December 2020 will be banned from entering the EU market. This initiative aims to keep Uganda’s coffee competitive globally while promoting environmentally sustainable practices.
The process involves mapping farms to ensure compliance with the traceability standards set by the EU. Tumwebaze urged stakeholders in the coffee industry to collaborate, noting that the registration would collect vital information such as the name, location, and GPS coordinates of coffee farms. Sheikh Mulindwa has also endorsed the government initiative to register all coffee farmers.
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