West Nile farmers to earn extra profit for producing quality coffee

More than 2,000 coffee farmers in West Nile Sub-region are set for a 33 percent profit bonus for producing quality coffee.

The bonus is an initiative of the Agency for Community Empowerment (AFCE), an organisation building the capacity of coffee farmers in the sub-region. Most farmers have been using inappropriate methods to dry their coffee, hence affecting its quality.

According to the executive director of AFCE, Mr Aggrey Chombe, the bonus to be given to farmers is 33 percent of the total profit that the company realises in a coffee season. For instance, if the company gains a profit of Shs100 billion, the farmers will be given 33 percent after sales bonus.

He said the initiative is geared towards promoting production of good quality coffee for the international market.

“Last year, we exported two containers of coffee as a result of good quality assurance maintained by coffee farmers, this has made us to place rewards to our coffee farmers for the quality assurance standard maintained,” Mr Chombe said in an interview at the weekend.

To promote quality, the company introduced shade coffee drying where farmers are clustered into 10 micro-stations.

The Zombo deputy resident commissioner, Ms Grace Atim, urged farmers to maintain quality to meet international market standards.

She also urged the farmers to make full use of the Parish Development Model (PDM) and obtain seed capital to strengthen their capacity in promoting good quality coffee.

The coffee price in 2021 in the area was Shs12,000 per kg but in 2022, the price dropped to Shs7,500.