Masaka farmers call for disease and drought-resistant coffee varieties
MASAKA– Farmers in the Greater Masaka region have appealed to give them coffee varieties that are disease and drought-resistant, saying they are tired of making losses in every harvesting season.
The farmers argue that government can provide the requested varieties through its agencies -the National Agricultural Organisation [NARO] and National Coffee Research Institute [NaCORI].
According to Uganda Coffee Development Authority [UCDA], Masaka is one of the top Rubosta coffee growing regions in the country with close to 400,000 households engaged in the activity. It also indicates that Masaka region on average produces two million bags of coffee every year.
UCDA chairman, Dr. Charles Mugoya in an interview said many farmers in Masaka region and other parts of the country have started to grow Fine Robusta coffee which fetches premium prices on the international market, though he said drought, coffee diseases, and pests are a big problem.
Joseph Ssebatta, a coffee farmer at Kyoko village in Kkingo Subcounty says he has lost over 12 acres of coffee plantations due to drought and coffee wilt disease, urging government to provide new Robusta coffee varieties that are drought-tolerant.
Masaka district agricultural officer, Dennis Ssebinojjo said at least 75 percent of households in Masaka district grow coffee, which he said is their source of income.
He said coffee production in the area would have been higher if it was not for the drought, coffee wilt diseases, and the coffee twig borer that have all affected the production of the crop in the district.
Last month, farmers in the area lost over 1,000 acres of coffee gardens due to the strange coffee borer pests, which spread very fast during the drought spell in the area.
Ssebinojjo said has put emphasis on boosting coffee production by promoting improved disease-resistant varieties like KR-10, through increased financing for coffee research.
Dr Godfrey Kagezi, a senior research officer at NaCORI intimated to this reporter during an interview that research was ongoing to develop drought-tolerant varieties that are environmentally friendly but can also survive weather conditions.
He said scientists have already identified natural materials from wild coffee varieties and tested them with improved coffee wilt disease-resistant Robusta varieties. ”We are using tissue culture to develop the varieties that have both disease resistance and drought tolerance characteristics,” he said.
He said NaCORI is also grafting the coffee wilt disease-resistant Robusta varieties with stronger root systems that can extend deeper into the soil.
Dr. Mugoya also said UCDA is focusing on enhancing value addition to generate employment for the youth and increase the incomes of the farmers. He said coffee production is set to increase to 9 million bags in the current financial from 8.4mln bags realised in the year before.
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