RUBIRIZI, UGANDA – Coffee farmers were cautioned against harvesting immature coffee berries, with a warning that the practice reduces the quality and market value of Uganda’s coffee.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The warning was issued by Rubirizi’s Kirugu Sub-county Senior Agriculture Officer, Kabagira Isaiah, during a dialogue meeting organized by members of the Waltzing Matilda Coffee Farmers Association.
The meeting, held under the theme “Modernized Farming Practices,” aimed to raise awareness, improve market access, and encourage farmers to embrace coffee farming as a profitable venture for national development.
The Chairperson of the Waltzing Matilda Coffee Farmers Association, Bainomugisha Naboth, explained that a new training initiative would tackle challenges like low production and poor bean quality through better processing techniques and marketing strategies.
He further emphasized that the program aims to empower youth and women through skills development, directly addressing unemployment in the district.
“The training aims to enhance the value of coffee production in Uganda by introducing innovative processing and marketing techniques. This will improve the quality of coffee beans through better processing and handling practices,” Naboth remarked.
Kebirungi Vary, a coffee farmer, said that coffee has increased local incomes and improved sustainable livelihoods by connecting farmers to better markets through improved quality, processing, and market access.
“Coffee has helped us increase our income and improve our livelihoods. Improved coffee quality, processing, and market access have connected us to local and international markets, enabling us to sell our coffee at better prices,” said Kebirungi.
The initiative underscores the district’s commitment to boosting coffee production and ensuring farmers receive fair returns through quality-focused practices to help small-scale coffee farmers earn higher incomes.
Uganda has solidified its status as a global coffee powerhouse, ranking 8th in the world and producing 6.85 million bags in 2024, driven by its robust Robusta variety, which generates 80% of its coffee revenue.
Building on its position as Africa’s top coffee exporter, Uganda’s production has surged by 15% this year, fueled by favorable weather and stronger global prices.
Uganda’s coffee, cultivated across 11 diverse regions and led by the Central region, finds its primary market in the lucrative destinations of the European Union and the United States.
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