STiR coffee and tea magazine

24 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 2, 2018 (April / May) Waterways Railway Network Road Network TANZANIA RWANDA BURUNDI KENYA UGANDA The Democratic Republic of Congo DODOMA NAIROBI KAMPALA Busia Kisumu Jinja Mwanza Musoma Port Bell Kemonodo Bay Kigoma Kalamie To Mpulungu Dar es salaam Mombasa Bukoba BUJUMBURA KIGALI L. VICTORIA L. TANGANYIKA Kisangani Beni Uuira Kericho Kisii Kakitumba Ntungamo Kabale Goma Rutana Gitega Bukauu Kisenyi Kindu Voi Taueta Mtito Andei Sultan Hamud Machakos Gilgil Nakuru Eldoret Bungoma Tororo Malaba Kasese Bihanga By Shem Oirere C offee transportation in East Africa, long a barrier to efficient supply, could greatly improve as governments in the region and the private sector roll out initiatives to address bottlenecks that delay cargo movement and increase the cost of doing business with traders in the region. Challenges include uneven distribution of trucks, theft of coffee in transit, docu- mentation hurdles, heavy traffic jams, and warehousing constraints. Examples of prog- ress include harmonizing documentation by government agencies in the region, com- missioning of modern railway transport systems and a united push towards the use of standardized coffee containers by freight and forwarding operators. "We still have situations where delayed documentation processes hold coffee ship- ments to clients for a longer period than expected and this erodes our reputation as coffee roasters," said Bridget Carrington, managing director at Dormans Ltd, a Ke- nyan-owned coffee exporter, roaster, and retailer. "Delays to the port or at the port also lead to deterioration of the quality of the coffee as sometimes it takes many weeks before it reaches its destination. This affects our finances as it increases the cost of doing business," said Carrington during the 16th African Fine Coffee Association (AFCA) conference in Kampala in mid-February. Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Burundi are working together to expedite movement of coffee within the East Africa market and to the global market through the introduction of a single customs territory (SCT), which replaces multiple weigh- bridges, security officers and customs checks along the Northern Corridor. Logistics Boon for Coffee Traders in East Africa

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