Bukedi bets on coffee and cocoa to end poverty
President Museveni launches the Bukedi Sub-region Accelerated Wealth Creation Programme in Butebo District on Thursday, August 22, 2024. PHOTO | PPU
What you need to know:
- Bukedi Accelerated Wealth Creation (2024–2040) plan aims at reducing subsistence farming to under five percent and increase annual household incomes to Shs30 million.
In the early morning mist of the Bukedi Sub-region, as the sun rises over the slopes of Mt Elgon, a quiet revolution is taking root. Once renowned for its thriving cotton cultivation until 1986, Bukedi saw the value of the crop drop at a high speed due to fluctuating prices.
This forced farmers to abandon it in favour of other alternatives. For decades, Bukedi’s economy has remained trapped in poverty. Despite its fertile soil, its farmers remain poor. Challenges such as erratic rainfall, poor infrastructure, and exploitation have stifled its agricultural potential. Now, the region has turned to two globally sought-after crops: coffee and cocoa. District leaders from across Bukedi – including Pallisa, Budaka, Butebo, Kibuku, Butaleja, Tororo, and Busia – are uniting behind a bold vision to transform the sub-region into a hub for coffee and fine-flavour cocoa.
During the launch of the Bukedi Development Strategic Plan 2024–2040 by President Museveni in Pallisa District on August 22, 2024, cocoa and coffee were presented as the key perennial cash crops to lift households out of poverty. This strategy, titled: Bukedi Accelerated Wealth Creation (2024–2040), outlines an ambitious roadmap to raise household incomes to at least Shs30 million annually by 2040. The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Monica Musenero, the architect behind the initiative, said the plan is anchored in economic empowerment through a science-based planning approach on value chain analysis and enterprise mix. “The economy of the sub-region will remain stagnant unless drastic measures are taken to leapfrog the region into the money economy.
This strategic plan will enable Bukedi to do just that,” said Dr Musenero at the weekend. She criticised previous national plans under NDP III that identified Bukedi for development through cotton, cassava, and rice – crops. Dr Musenero argued the plans failed to lift the region out of what she called the nkolera kida kyonka syndrome – a Luganda phrase meaning working just for the stomach. “The 2024-2040 plan is about economic transformation through scientific analysis of priority enterprises. It focuses on improving productivity, quality, and market access for actors across the value chain,” Dr Musenero said. She highlighted the need to prioritise perennial crops like coffee and cocoa while promoting sustainable production through nutrient recycling, environmental conservation, and irrigation.
Core target
The plan’s main objective is to reduce subsistence farming to under five percent and increase annual household incomes to Shs30 million. It also targets industrial-scale production of priority crops and livestock by at least 75 percent of households by 2040. “We aim to implement a District Factory Model in all districts to support value addition for locally produced goods,” Dr Musenero said. The key interventions include expanding industrial-level crop and livestock production, utilising local natural resources for industrialisation, and integrating priority value chains with others – such as fish – to ensure sustainability and environmental protection. “The effective execution of this plan could boost household income from under Shs1 million to Shs30 million annually and increase Bukedi’s GDP from $424.23 million (Shs1.5 trillion) to $8.48 billion.
This will require an investment of $173 million (Shs637 billion) over 15 years,” she added. Mr Thomas Okoth Nyalulu, the chairperson of Bukedi Think Tank, described the region as facing a deepening crisis of “debilitating peasantry.” “The region is now among the poorest in the country. Rapid population growth has caused land fragmentation, leading to increased landlessness. Households face extreme poverty in income, food, water, energy, and health,” Mr Nyalulu said. “Many families survive on one meal a day, often without any sauce. Women bear the brunt, as they must ensure daily meals for their families amid soaring costs and dwindling resources,” he added. He also cited unreliable weather, landless youth, and widespread idleness in trading centres as major concerns. “These challenges have hindered productivity and delayed the socio-economic transformation of Bukedi,” he said.
Background
Past efforts to support Bukedi have faltered. President Museveni first engaged leaders in 2007 to draft a strategic plan, but it was never completed. Attempts in 2011 and again in 2017 by the Uganda Investment Authority also failed to prioritise value chains. Between 2019 and 2020, Dr Musenero made an effort to develop a strategic plan, but the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the process. In 2021, Museveni again consulted Bukedi MPs in Kyankwanzi, but no formal plan emerged. “In response, the President directed Dr Musenero to formulate a strategy to address the nolera kida kyonka,” Mr Nyalulu said. Dr Musenero then established a Think Tank comprising local experts, including Mr Nyalulu (Tororo), Prof John David Kabasa, Mr Were Samuel Hibinga (Butaleja), Dr James Kisaale (Budaka), among others. They examined the issues of household peasantry and low productivity, consulted local leaders, PDM actors, faith institutions and MPs, and developed a prioritised value chain strategy. Dr James Kisale, the chairperson of the Bukedi Development Consortium (BUDECO), said a coffee and cocoa seed multiplication and distribution centre was being established to boost local production. “This initiative, led by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, in partnership with BUDECO and district governments, aims to improve household incomes,” Dr Kisale said. The centre will produce high-quality seedlings and provide training and resources to farmers. “High-quality coffee and cocoa seedlings are crucial for improving yields and farmer livelihoods. This hub is part of a broader plan to build a resilient agricultural economy in Bukedi,” he said.
BUDECO has partnered with Nonda Commodities Ltd to produce 2.5 million KR1–KR10 coffee seedlings and 80,000 cocoa seedlings. The National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI) is also setting up a regional research centre at the DATIC facility. BUDECO will distribute the seedlings through local nurseries, selling them to farmers at subsidised rates. Pallisa chairperson Patrick Duchu, said the 2024–2040 strategy provides a clear and inclusive path to lift households into the middle-income bracket. “Through prioritised value chains, infrastructure investment, and environmental sustainability, Bukedi can achieve significant progress in the next 15 years,” he said. He emphasised the importance of collaboration among the government, private sector, development partners, and communities. Dr Musenero called on farmers to embrace coffee and cocoa farming, describing the crops as high-return and low-maintenance. “We must shift mindsets. Coffee and cocoa offer viable paths out of poverty,” she said. Mr Moses Kapule, the chairperson of the Tirinyi Coffee and Cocoa Farmers Association, said his group of 50 members is gradually embracing the shift. “Initially, people were sceptical, but with support from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), farmers are beginning to adopt coffee and cocoa as alternatives to cotton,” he said. Farmers in Kataka and Kobolwa have started growing these crops to combat poverty.
Despite challenges like pest infestations and expensive pesticides, they are hopeful. “We’ve begun selling coffee in bulk as a group to avoid being cheated by middlemen, who used to pay low prices,” Mr Kapule said. Mr John Paddo of Kataka Village, Kibuku District, owns two and a half acres of coffee. Last season, he harvested 300kg, earning Shs13,000 per kilo – a significant boost. “I have been able to provide for my family and educate my children. Coffee is transforming lives,” he said. Mr Kale Kirya, another farmer, admitted he was initially reluctant but is now reaping the benefits of his two-acre coffee plantation. “I had doubts, but the returns speak for themselves,” he said. Mr Fredrick Kailanya, who owns three acres, harvested 1,200kg, said: “What started as an experiment has become a lifeline. Middlemen no longer dictate prices.” Five years ago, he replaced his maize fields with robusta coffee and cocoa after attending a Coffee Development Authority training. Today, he earns three times more and his children are back in school. Cocoa, long overlooked in Bukedi, is gaining traction due to its climate resilience and rising global demand for organic, single-origin chocolate. Some Kibuku farmers are now attracting direct supply contracts from buyers. “Coffee can be the cornerstone of our economy,” Dr Musenero said, adding: “With fertile soils and dedication, Bukedi can thrive.” Field extension officer Tanansi Wancha confirmed that technical guidance is being offered to help farmers improve quality and embrace better practices.
BUKEDI’s GDP, POVERTY RATE
Bukedi, considered one of Uganda’s poorest sub-regions, comprises seven districts with a population of approximately 2.38 million (Ubos 2024) across 4,504 square kilometres – a density of 528 people per square kilometre. With around 800,000 households, each with an average of five members, most own less than two acres of land. The region’s GDP is $424.23 million. While 58.3 percent of households practise subsistence farming (compared to the national average of 39 percent), Bukedi’s poverty rate stands at 34.7 percent, far above the national average of 20.3 percent. The GDP per capita is $135 (Shs488,866), compared to the national average of $1,185 (Shs4.2 million). Leaders say historically, Uganda’s post-independence economy revolved around the “3Cs” (cotton, coffee, copper) and the “3Ts” (tea, tobacco, tourism). For Bukedi, cotton was the sole cash crop.
However, during Uganda’s economic recovery in 1986, while regions producing coffee, tobacco and tea began to recover, Bukedi – reliant on cotton – did not. The collapse of cooperatives, competition from synthetic fibres, and the lack of a market left it without a viable cash crop. The economic expansion that followed favoured regions with tea and coffee. Bukedi, lacking those commodities and tourism attractions, missed out again. During the economic diversification phase, regions such as western Uganda embraced dairy and bananas. Bukedi opted for crops like rice, cassava and maize, which proved less profitable. Later, when the national focus shifted to ICT and tourism, Bukedi was again left behind. In the current industrialisation phase, which emphasises agro-industrialisation, Bukedi lacks the foundational cash crop to support such progress.
