Allan Mutagubya: Tribal sentiments or coffee economy dynamics?

At the start of the 2023/24 financial year, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) in its score card showed us that we registered an increment of 6.33% in production, from 5.8 million bags in 2022/23 financial year to 6.13 million bags in the 2023/24 financial year. Respectively, our export value shifted $846million t0 1.14 billion in the same years, increasing our export value by 35%.

As we celebrate the 1.14billion achievement, we should not forget that globally, Coffee fetches revenue to the tune of $465 billion coming second to Oil. With Uganda being the 7th largest Coffee producer in the world and the 2nd biggest in Africa for that matter, we should be ambitious enough as a country to increase our share of the over $465 billion to at least $2 billion by 2030!

Reports from Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Indicate that around 1.8 million small holder farmers engage in coffee production with 90% cultivating between 0.5 to 2.5 hectares. 9million Ugandans are estimated to be employed in the coffee value chain.Between 2016 and 2021, government pumped a lot of money to ensure coffee seedlings are distributed country wide through the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) then under the stewardship of Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho.

Of course the process had its own inefficiencies and as it stands today, Ugandans are procuring seedlings on their own account, which in itself is a good ’hardening off process”The Katikkiro of Buganda, Oweekitiibwa Charles Peter Mayiga has throughout his tenure envisioned and championed for ‘Emmwanyi Terimba” drive throughout Buganda Kingdom.

We can all agree that many baganda including myself have been inspired to engage in coffee growing. He argues that Buganda needs an action oriented ‘Federal status’ to one of lip-service with all Kabaka subjects earning such that central government and the Federal government can have a big tax base.

We can all attest that the Kingdom and Uganda are now already enjoying proceeds from the ‘Emmwanyi terimba drive’. That said, I need to rechoe that Mayiga has faced a lot of criticism in his approach largely from some opposition politicians who are jealous of his methods of work and how he ensured cohesion of Kabaka’s subjects.

Being focused the man he is, Mayiga has never veered off and for the larger part of this year 2024, Coffee has attracted the most contentious national debate. If you don’t love him over anything, appreciate him for his contribution to our coffee industry. Mayiga is a leader to celebrate!

Apparently, the conversation is on rationalization of UCDA. We shouldn’t forget that in the year 2022, the president was proposing to have ‘Vinci Company Limited’ associated to the infamous investor Pinetti take over the entire process of value addition to Coffee for the entire country.

Coffee shareholders won this debate. Today, the hullaballoo is on UCDA rationalization and some leaders are reducing it to tribal sentiments.

My thinking is that as a country that is 62 years old, we ought to outgrow conversations based on tribal sentiments. We shouldn’t divert from the bigger conversation on Coffee Economy Dynamics and the future. The Bank of Uganda (BOU) State of Economy report released in June 2024 revealed that Robusta Coffee prices doubled compared to last year, to a record $4.23 per kilogram! A price unheard of since 1970s.

The same report projects a further 33% price increase this very year and more 20% price increase in 2025. What every Ugandan young or old should be asking themselves is if they have planted any coffee trees especially in this rainy season or how best they can leverage the Coffee Economics to their advantage instead of trivializing the debate to Tribal conversations and sentiments, our leaders need to do better, we need to do better as a country!

The writer is a member of ‘The Now Generation’, a leader at Buganda Youth Council and Executive Member of Ssese County Leadership in charge of Markets and Business.

Email: mutagubya.allan4@gmail.com

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