Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1013597
Let's meet at … Our expertise and experience in tea and infusions – for your success. www.wollenhaupt.com hall A4 / booth 502 Consumption levels The government and private sector have partnered to address obstacles that constrain export volumes, hold back value addition and result in meager domestic consumption of locally produced coffee. Uganda's coffee roadmap establishes an ambitious export target of 20 million 60- kilo bags of coffee by 2025. Every effort is being directed at solving the 'how' neces- sary to achieve this figure. The 'how' involves planting quality rootstock; proper coffee farm management practices; high-level marketing of the country's coffee; addressing the issue of costly farm-inputs, and eradicating counterfeit coffee from the market. Uganda grows both robusta and arabica varieties in ration of 4:1. Partnerships are be- ing sought with international customers who value Uganda's robusta for its softer and mild cup characteristics. Stakeholders in Uganda's coffee sector are optimistic they will successfully address the 'how', positioning the country favorably in achieving not only to export 20 mil- lion bags of their beans but also increasing export earnings to $1.5 billion per year. The roadmap calls for increasing local coffee consumption to 15%, expanding acreage under coffee by 20% and establishing forays into new markets such as the Maghreb region and China. "The target is fairly ambitious, but you always have to set high tar- gets unless you want to maintain the status quo," says Uganda's agriculture minister Vincent Ssempija. "Uganda's coffee is the best in world in terms of the aroma. The only problem is with management of the coffee trees, gardens, and poor quality due to post-harvest handling," he said. Farmer organizations The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), a state agency that promotes and oversee the coffee industry says it has given priority to addressing the quality of seed/ planting material, farm practices, and also marketing in partnership with farmer organi- zations such as the Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance (UCFA) and National Union of Coffee Agribusiness and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE). A group of coffee farmers from Kikawa in Luweero District test a simple irrigation system that they use in watering their coffee farms during the dry season. "We realized to achieve quality cof- fee production we must start from the seed. We now have certified seed gardens and we work with researchers from the National Coffee Research Institute in mapping coffee growing areas and which seed is suitable for which region," said