The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ankole and Kibinge Coffee Cooperative (ACPCU) have welcomed the proposal to register coffee farmers saying it will facilitate extension services and address gaps in production and processing.
The members of the cooperative where on Wednesday appearing before the Parliamentary committee on Agriculture which is currently scrutinizing the National Coffee bill 2018, which among other things seeks to register coffee farmers.
According to John Nuwagaba, the General manager ACPCU, registration of farmers will enhance tractability of exported coffee from producers to consumers, as tractability is key to buyer confidence. Nuwagaba also says farmer registration will enhance distribution of farm inputs, irrigation, which will subsequently increase coffee production and productivity.
He also says this will facilitate Government extension service delivery, collective marketing and access to credit.
“Registering of farmers will improve the management of coffee pests and diseases, leading to increased coffee yields. It will also address critical gaps in production, post harvest handling, processing and marketing, added Nuwagaba.
He pointed out that the country lacks key data and registration will promote and support certification schemes like fair trade which are key in developing competitiveness and in turn brings in premium prices for farmers.
They proposed that the farmer registration be updated annually, and no farmer should be registered if by the time of registration is not yet farming coffee.
They also called for sensitization instead of harsh penalties for the farmers saying many farmers may not know how to handle coffee. They however observe that the bill is silent on abuse of agro chemicals, restriction of the sale of herbicides among others.
Kibinge Coffee farmers Cooperative also supports the registration of farmers but maintains that this should be through the already existing structures of coffee.
John mark Kasule, the operations manager Kibinge coffee cooperative says several cooperative societies already have numbers of growers and it is important for farmers to work with them. He says says the coffee farmer registration will change the industry for good.
The Committee chairperson Janet Okori-moe says they will not invite the farmers to Parliament but will visit the farmers in their different regions to get what they think on the bill.
The bill proposes the registration of farmers, capturing details of the size of land, the number of coffee trees and particulars of the farmers, coffee buyers and sellers among others.
It also proposes that land, where the coffee is to be grown shall be evaluated by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority – UCDA to determine whether or not it is suitable for coffee growing. The bill also proposes a 2-year jail term for a farmer who fails to take good care of their coffee plantation.
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Your observation about “tractability” should be corrected to read “traceability”; the latter is the globally agreed term for an increasingly important quality of agricultural products. It is not only an important improvement necessary for exporting coffee but is becoming required for all agricultural exports including fruits, vegetables, and beef. It is also important for domestic reasons in certain agricultural sectors, such as beef, for the purposes of being able to pinpoint where disease outbreaks are occurring and declare quarantine in that small area rather than declare large-area quarantines which unnecessarily penalize a larger number of producers. Please learn to use and understand the proper term, it will increasingly play a role in future articles about agriculture.