Why we need a coffee law
There has been a lot of public debate about the recently introduced National Coffee Bill 2018. Some people, including a few opinion leaders, have argued that the Bill is unnecessary as some clauses don’t appear to favour smallholder farmers. This column has always emphasised the importance of the coffee crop.
Apollo Kamugisha, development services director at Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), recently told farmers in Kalungu District that within the next 10 years there will be a global coffee deficit of 30 million bags and that Uganda is aiming at supplying that volume of coffee.
Unfortunately, our local consumption of coffee stands at hardly one per cent which means we grow the crop mainly for export.
We have to be conscious that we grow coffee in competition with other producers across the world and therefore the quality and quantity of our product have to be superior. To achieve this goal our farmers must be closely monitored which makes the coffee law necessary.
The law will require all farmers to be registered and to get numbers for easier monitoring. We ought to have data indicating how many farmers are where and how much they produce. This will guide provision of coffee specific agricultural extension services and inputs.
Penalties will be imposed on those who don’t go by the production guidelines such as harvesting red ripe cherries, drying coffee on mats, thoroughly drying the crop before selling it, applying good agronomic practices, planting recommended high yielding varieties etc.
Coffee buyers and nursery operators will also be registered. They will also face penalties for mishandling the crop. The ultimate aim is for the farmers to come up with a good product that will attract high prices and raise household incomes.
Our farmers have to understand that coffee is food and that it has to be handled carefully. All serious coffee producing countries have a law in place.
