The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Since the beginning of the year, the price of coffee has gradually decreased and of recent it has reduced by more than half to the cost of last year 2019.
According to the price noticeboard at Uganda Coffee Development Authority-UCDA, a kilogram of processed coffee beans-FAQ varies between shillings 3,900 to 4,300 while unprocessed coffee commonly as Kiboko costs between 2,000 to 2,200 shillings.
Aloysius Mukeere, a farmer in Nakalembe parish, Lwengo district says that he is currently stuck with 3 tons of dried coffee after failing to get an attractive market price.
He explains that he has stocked his coffee produce since January this year expecting to fetch at least 3,500 shilling per kilo before processing which to his dismay has been in vain.
Moses Kizito Kibuuka, the chairperson of Kinoni Coffee Dealers and Processors Association which operates in Lwengo and Lyantonde districts says that the current market prices are unfavourable to both the primary farmers and local middlemen.
Kibuuka who is also an active coffee farmer is afraid that many farmers may give up on commercial coffee production into other short-term crops they presume more profitable and less demanding.
He has attributed the current situation to the very small size of the local market for coffee and its products which makes the country over-reliant to the export market where prices are largely determined by the quality.
Kibuuka says that many coffee exporters have also stayed away from the market due to quality concerns. He wants the government to intervene and support farmers with proper post-harvesting facilities to ensure quality coffee products for attractive prices at the international market.
Michael Joseph Ssali, another farmer in Ngereko village in Lwengo district indicates that decline in quality was caused by prolonged rainy season which affected the way farmers dried their coffee upon harvest.
John Mark Tamale the Operations Manager at the Greater Masaka Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative says that they are currently carrying out joint operations with field teams of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority-UCDA to enforce proper coffee handling, for purposes of ensuring quality coffee production to meet export market standards.
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Hello Uganda am mukasa Robert from masaka write now am in busoga the village is called namungalwe but according to the prices today I don’t know what to do because today’s prices 3750 and in Kampala 4000 what can I do
Just sell or buy like that
The poor price has been attributed by the corrupt gorvement of uganda
The prices in Kenya and tz are 3 times higher compared here so we famers if the gorvement does nothing actually they will harvest nothing in the coming elections
The gorvement should do same thing for the price of the coffee in less we famers we are not going to vote for it
Apparently how mu h is a Kiligram of Kiboko coffee in Masaka, Kalisizo areas?
Really the pice of coffee is very low!
Most agricultural workers and those who claim to enforce coffee quality guidelines do not know what problems we coffee farmers are facing .They only come and scatter coffee berries in bushes other than conducting trainings concerning quality right from nursery to the coffee factory
i have got clean coffee if you’re interested send me an email kasigwa0087@gmail.com