Quick focus: Uganda
Could we being see a shift in power in Uganda?
At the beginning of the week the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) came out and made the bold claim that the best coffee grown in the country is to be found in the Lira District and that the region is on course to become the leading producer of coffee.
…continue reading Quick focus: Uganda
Ugandan exports expected to be static due to drought
Reports out of Uganda indicate that the coffee industry there is hoping that exports levels for the 2014-15 season mirrors those posted in previous years as the nation begins to recover, slowly, from a period of drought.
The worst case scenario that those in the sector are bracing them for is a slight change, highlighting the fact that there’s a blanket of optimism over the East African nation at the moment.
…continue reading Ugandan exports expected to be static due to drought
Targets may not be met, NUCAFE member says
With a couple of weeks left until the coffee season in Uganda shuts down, some new predictions have estimated that the country will see a slight increase in production levels this year.
The report, drawn up by the Ugandan Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) expects that coffee harvests will rise by 1.44% and that there will also be a marginal growth in profits by 0.75%. Both are year-on-year figures.
“Coffee exports for the period September 2013 to August 2014 totalled 3.52 million bags worth $394 million,” the documented noted before going on to state that: “[T]his indicates a slight increase from the [what was] earned in the same period last year.”
…continue reading Targets may not be met, NUCAFE member says
EPRC push the Ugandan government to help the coffee industry
There are countless benefits associated with coffee, but its ability to provide for families and act as a major source of income for people is perhaps its most powerful. That’s why the government of Uganda has been asked to improve coffee production in northern regions as part of a wider reaching initiative to reduce poverty in the African country.
…continue reading EPRC push the Ugandan government to help the coffee industry
Uganda to get governmental help for coffee growers
It has been long documented that Africa has a strong connection with the coffee industry.
It has been said that the first coffee beans were discovered there after an Ethiopian goatherd noticed the effects of coffee cherry consumption by his flock.
Since then, coffee has become a significant market for several African countries.
…continue reading Uganda to get governmental help for coffee growers
Good news for Ugandan coffee predictions
Africa has a strong relationship with coffee.
It is said that the delicious qualities of coffee beans were first discovered in Ethiopia and in modern times, the coffee output of the continent is impressive.
One of the African countries to contribute to the world’s coffee industry is Uganda.
And according to reports in the news, it seems that this is a particularly good time for their coffee industry.
Why?
…continue reading Good news for Ugandan coffee predictions
Uganda is going great guns with its exported coffee
Africa seems to have a special relationship with coffee – rumour has it that coffee was discovered there and in these modern times, many of the countries in the continent contribute greatly to the world coffee market. Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia… there are many African nations which produce coffee. …continue reading Uganda is going great guns with its exported coffee
Ugandan coffee industry is working hard
As reported in New Vision, the Ugandan coffee farmers are amending their practices to help to protect crops against pests and diseases. These canny farmers who come from the Mukono district and the village of Kituza in the Nakisunga sub-county of the area, have come up with no less than eight varieties that are resistant to these problems.
This is an important development because problems of pest control and diseases have been highlighted by local farmers as some of the key reasons that they abandoned coffee farming in the past.
The species of coffee were the product of a collaboration between the farmers, the national coffee development authority, NAADS and Café Africa.
According to reports, the coffee types have been carefully produced to accentuate properties that help a profitable coffee business. For example, as well has having a resistance to pests and diseases, the coffee beans are also designed to grow quickly, which, of course, produces the final product more quickly, so that the yields can be harvested and sold within a shorter period of time. What period are we talking about here? Apparently, some varieties can be picked within 18 to 24 months, whereas others take up to four years.
The new resistant coffee beans were showcased recently at an exhibition in the local sub-county. As well as extolling the virtues of these beans with a view to encouraging farmers to begin coffee farming, another purpose was to help farmers understand that they can receive help and training in the growth of the product. Skills such as pruning and fertilising were emphasised.
Uganda’s exports in coffee rise by fifty-eight percent
Africa is renowned for its great coffee – Kenya, Ethiopia amongst other countries can supply us with a lovely coffee blend. Uganda, in particular, is doing well currently thanks to a great harvest. The information released by the Coffee Development Authority, indicates that exports are up by fifty eight per cent.
It appears that coffee farms in the south and west of the country are currently harvesting their primary crop, whereas the regions in the centre and east of Uganda are now collecting in a secondary harvest where yields are slightly lower.
Unofficial figures which have been published indicate that exports rose by just under 136,000 bags (60 kg) in a month, compared with the figures last year.
It is said that Uganda is largely comprised of small farms amounting to around ninety-five per cent of the coffee market in the country. As these farmers depend on rain for the cultivation of the plants, the coffee industry is reliant on the weather and dry spells cause problems.
Robusta coffee is indigenous to Uganda and still grows wild in some of the rain forests, very unusually naturally growing coffee plants. Arabica, the much-loved coffee bean, was introduced to the Ugandan culture in the early twentieth century. The local farmers often mix their coffee plants amongst traditional food crops, often under the shade of trees. Usually, these coffee plants will flower around twice a year. Coffee connoisseurs have described Ugandan coffee has unique and intense in character.
Ugandan Coffee to Benefit from Biomass Energy Developments
Based in the US, Taylor Biomass Energy has entered into a collaborative agreement with Ugandan Sesam Energetics Ltd, for the construction of a biomass gasification plant worth US$160 million in the country’s Kampala region.
According to the US biomass energy company, the new plant will have the potential to generate more than 40MW of bio-based power, as well as recycling a minimum of 1,030 metric tons of Kampala’s municipal solid waste every day – providing sufficient energy for more than 35,000 homes.
In terms of coffee, Uganda, which is the largest producer of Robusta coffee in Africa, has been struggling with power shortages since 2006. This has had a direct knock-on effect on the country’s manufacturing industry, which is led primarily by processing plants handling raw commodities such as coffee, tea, cotton and fish.
At present, Uganda is dependent on costly fuel-driven thermal plants to produce almost half of its electricity requirements, as a result of the reduced water levels on its two key hydro power stations, following a period of prolonged drought in 2006.
The agreement between the two businesses has resulted in the creation of Taylor Biomass Energy Uganda, which is to handle the project’s execution.
In news more directly linked to Ugandan coffee, local producers are said to be benefiting from their focus on fair trade practices, since the Bugisu Cooperative Union’s formation of Gumutindo Cooperative Trading. Gumutindo, which translates as ‘quality,’ has reportedly “sensitised farmers by reminding them of the things they know about coffee” and given them a better price for their produce as a result.