Quality of Bunyoro’s coffee still lacking, says MAAIF official

HOIMA CITY, October 11, 2026 — Eunice Kabibi, the Assistant Commissioner in the Coffee Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF] and former Director of Legal Services at the defunct Uganda Coffee Development Authority [UCDA], has expressed concern over the poor quality of coffee produced in the Bunyoro region.

Speaking at a national event to mark International Coffee Day at Rukurato Gardens in Hoima City on Thursday, Kabibi said although people in Bunyoro were increasingly embracing coffee production, they had not paid sufficient attention to quality.

She attributed the poor quality to improper post-harvest handling, harvesting unripe coffee cherries and the use of poor-quality planting materials.

“I encourage you to make sure you [use] the right varieties. I am in charge of regulation and enforcement, and I have noticed that the quality of coffee in Bunyoro is not the best. You are harvesting green coffee and planting seeds of poor quality. I therefore encourage you to improve if you need to enjoy the market and the benefits of coffee,” she said.

Kabibi, who represented Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja at the event, said producing poor-quality coffee affects the market and called on local leaders to sensitise farmers about good production and post-harvest practices.

The Uganda Coffee Federation president, Robert Byaruhanga, urged people in Bunyoro to embrace coffee growing as a means of promoting socio-economic transformation.

He said coffee has supported the livelihoods of many Ugandans while also generating significant revenue for government.

“Apart from supporting household incomes and contributing taxes, two per cent of the value of the coffee that we export goes to support government interventions in the value chain,” he said, urging Ugandans with suitable land to take up coffee production.

Robert Kabushenga, a Ugandan prominent coffee farmer with more than 76 hectares under coffee, said leaders should lead by example in promoting coffee growing.

He said coffee is one of Uganda’s key cash crops that can help lift citizens out of poverty and challenged Ugandans to embrace its production.

Kabushenga also said coffee was relatively resilient to changing climatic conditions compared with crops such as beans and maize.

“People who are standing for leadership positions, ask them: ‘How many acres of coffee do you have?’ If they do not have any, do not waste your time with them. The only salvation that we Africans have left is growing coffee. If we do not grow coffee, we are going to be very poor for the rest of our lives,” he said.

The Bunyoro Kingdom Prime Minister, Andrew Byakutaga, who was represented by Alex Katusabe, the Kingdom’s Chief Administrative Secretary, said the kingdom was pleased that its subjects were embracing coffee-growing campaigns.

He said Bunyoro currently contributes about five per cent of Uganda’s coffee production and that the kingdom was continuing to mobilise its subjects to grow the crop.

Katusabe said that although coffee had traditionally been grown on a small scale in Bunyoro, the region was increasingly embracing modern, large-scale production methods to tap into national and international markets, supported by its fertile soils and favourable climate.

“Some years back, the kingdom started a campaign to promote coffee and cocoa production among the kingdom subjects. We have also established coffee demonstration gardens in areas of Kikuube and Kiryandongo districts,” he said.

International Coffee Day is celebrated globally on October 1, but Uganda traditionally marks the event on the first Thursday of every October to align with its coffee production calendar.

MAAIF rotates the national celebrations to different regions each year to spotlight local coffee varieties and challenges:

2025: Hosted in Jinja City focusing on value addition and household incomes.

2024: Hosted at Gulu University, Gulu City under the theme “Exploring the Unique Coffees from Northern Uganda”.

2023: Hosted in Kasese focusing on Arabica and Mount Rwenzori coffees.

Uganda is one of Africa’s top coffee producers and exporters, ranking high in global export shares, notably Robusta and Arabica from Mt. Elgon and Mt. Rwenzori.

https://thecooperator.news/fao-welcomes-un-resolution-establishing-international-coffee-day/

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