The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Mengo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Kabaka of Buganda has requested government through various avenues to help improve coffee production in the country.
The Kabaka urged government to find means of shielding coffee farmers from extreme price fluctuations and to access capital to finance their efforts. He said he expected the government to also listen to the coffee farmers on all issues concerning the coffee sector.
Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II said this on Sunday during the Kabaka’s 29th Coronation anniversary at his Mengo Palace.
The Kabaka thanked all who have heeded the Katikkiro (Prime Minister of Buganda) CP Mayiga’s call to grow coffee. He urged all to engage in growing coffee to reduce household poverty and grow the economy.
He said that because coffee production is able to get people out of poverty, the government should strengthen the agriculture extension system so that farmers can get high quality seedlings at affordable rates and to receive technical knowledge from extension workers at the sub counties so as to improve coffee yields and quality.
Kabaka Mutebi added that the government should set up price controls so that coffee prices cannot go so low that it generally affects farmers and those in the coffee business. He also called for tailored financing services from banks and financial institutions for farmers to be able to access quick loans and expand the coffee growing enterprise.
He said it would be wise if government revived the cooperatives so as to enable coffee farmers to have a collective voice partaking to coffee production. In this he also urged government to get views from those involved in coffee production before making any decisions that affect the rapidly growing coffee business.
Kabaka Mutebi’s calls come at a time when the kingdom is one of the stakeholders in the coffee business through Mwanyi Terimba Limited which buys coffee from the farmers and finds market for it externally. The Kingdom rolled out the Emmwanyi Terimba initiative with a goal of promoting coffee growing in the kingdom and later on set up a company to buy the coffee from the farmers, completing the value chain of coffee as spearheaded by BUCADEF.
In 2016, Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga under the Kingdom of Buganda inaugurated a campaign dubbed “Emwanyi Terimba”. Mayiga engaged the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and formed a partnership to boost coffee growing in Buganda region.
The UCDA was to provide seedlings and partner with the kingdom’s Buganda Cultural and Development Foundation (BUCADEF) to provide technical knowledge on the new development while the kingdom was to ensure people embrace growing coffee again. However according to the Katikkiro the UCDA is no longer providing the seedlings to the people of Buganda as agreed in the partnership.
Katikkiro Mayiga revealed that people have embraced the campaign, and coffee growing in the kingdom has increased by 35%. He also revealed that Buganda region contributed 30% of the coffee exported from Uganda.
During the celebrations the Kabaka also unveiled paintings of 31 former kings of Buganda from Kabaka Kintu to Ssuuna II.
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We need to reduce land dedicated to coffee cultivation. The average Ugandan family get about $300pa from coffee. Coffee cannot take our people out of poverty. Growing coffee benefits middlemen and drinkers at the expense of farmers.
You don’t what you are talking about. Right now the price of robusta coffee is close to shillings 7,000. At most, the middleman gets shillings 200 and the rest; shillings 6800 goes to the farmer.
Well I respect your opinion
This is what I observed while growing up.
By 1967, I was a primary three pupil, I attended a school located about 56km from Kampala on the way to Gulu ( I witnessed the construction of tarmac beyond Wobulenzi to Gulu by “Sterling” from 1968; still consider it the best road)
The population grew coffee and sold it at a known price (every year, the budget reading was listened to by all on radio and these prices were official)
While attending secondary school, I assisted my relative the “secretary manager” of the local cooperative under the East Mengo Growers Cooperative Union.
The members had the number of kilogram per bag recorded, and had been paid cash. The total I now call “A” At some point the “Bonus” ( equivalent to profit) was calculated. This Bonus “b” for every farmer “f” was calculated as a proportion of ( kgs by farmer “f” =”A” over the total kgs bought by the society “S” multiplied by the amount “B”available to the Society “s”
So the amount of Bonus “b” for every farmer was then transferred to a book “X”
In that book “X” was a record of all items obtained by farmer “f” on credit: these included Pumps (knapsac), hoes, sickles, spades, wheel barrows, pangas plus fertilisers, herbcides etc.
The sum “y” of cost of the respective inputs “i” was obtained
So the farmer “f” received “w”
“W” being ( “b” minus “y”). This money used to cater for several activities at home stead level
Indeed in the 1970’s a rich man was respected because his source of income was known. I saw changes in houses gradually
In that place we got new dresses for Easter and Christmas, thanks to coffee and cotton
The vehicles were known as a result of coffee growing ( “mwanyi zabala”)
Some parents did not pay fees because of perception but were able
So the coffee growers of 1967 to 1980 were benefiting from coffee growing
If the managers had any mischief, I have no idea, but the community was able to meet needs ( Maslow’s pyramid)
So much for the memory of the cohort of that time, the truth sets us free ( some of us miss it!)
I can understand the hidden motive about land, but majority of people owning land have paid for it. Please conduct a well designed study to prove the last claim
Thank you Ntuuyo. You summed it well.
Thank you for your comment.
Here it is on the website as well. https://wp.me/p7FLkS-Yyg
You can only advise me to change, if there is a better offer:
So at one point they cut down this coffee and planted Vanilla, is the market still good?
Several have banana trees and raise animals.
Unfortunately the market price is far less, when compared to the amount invested in most of these alternate activities
I am going to duplicate this new kid on the block and determine if there will be some profit ( I enjoy experiments)
Obubaka tubufunye kumpi uganda yona, emwaanyi teriimba, yebank etagwaawo
It’s true emwanyi terimba, the gv’t should support it, it should revive the co-operatives.