Kampala, Uganda — Buganda Kingdom Prime Minister Charles Peter Mayiga has voiced strong opposition to President Yoweri Museveni’s recent proposal to dissolve the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), warning that it could severely impact Uganda’s coffee industry and the rural livelihoods it supports.
President Museveni recently questioned the necessity of UCDA, suggesting that its functions could be consolidated into other government bodies to streamline operations and reduce redundancies.
“If UCDA and NAADS were successful, why were 68% of the homesteads still outside the money economy by 2013? OWC did much more work than NAADS, UCDA and CDO combined,” wondered Museveni.
He argued that dismantling the UCDA would be a step toward greater government efficiency and aligning Uganda’s coffee sector with his broader economic policies.
Museveni’s remarks have raised concerns among coffee industry stakeholders, who fear the dissolution could destabilize an industry that contributes significantly to Uganda’s GDP and supports millions of households.
In response, Mayiga on Tuesday night emphasized global market trends, noting that top coffee-producing nations continue to export raw coffee beans, or “kase,” to Europe and the United States, where consumers prefer freshly ground coffee.
“Selling our coffee without value addition results in lower earnings” Mayiga acknowledged.
”However, even wealthier Brazil and Vietnam, which grow more coffe, also sell “kase” because the large European and American markets consume freshly ground coffee at the end consumer outlet,” he emphasized.
Mayiga praised UCDA’s role in supporting initiatives like the Emmwanyi Terimba Initiative, launched in 2016 to tackle poverty in Buganda.
“UCDA joined us and provided 10 million seedlings and extension services which led to improved crop quality and quantity,” he said, crediting UCDA with helping Ugandan farmers improve both the quality and yield of their coffee.
Rather than dismantling UCDA, Mayiga argued, the government should focus on strengthening it.
“UCDA should be funded further and retained to: advise on good farming practices; improve quality of the crop on the farm and after harvest; raise the quantities produced; popularize the drinking of coffee; and explore possible bi-products from the coffee bean,” he stated.
Mayiga also expressed concern over recent government actions affecting the coffee industry, including the 2020 Coffee Bill, which proposed punitive measures for farmers abandoning their crops, and a monopoly agreement with Italian investor Enrica Pinetti.
“These maneuvers point to unclear motives, more so when the stakeholders’ views are not respected,” Mayiga said, calling for greater transparency and engagement with those directly affected.
Urging the government to carefully consider the perspectives of coffee-dependent communities, Mayiga highlighted the importance of UCDA to Uganda’s economic stability, noting, “The livelihoods of millions of Ugandans depend on this crop.”
His response adds to the growing debate over Uganda’s coffee industry as stakeholders await further clarification on the proposed dissolution of UCDA.
Members of Parliament from Buganda last Thursday opposed government plans to dissolve UCDA, stating that such a move would have disastrous consequences for Uganda’s coffee industry and affect the livelihoods of over 12.5 million people.
