NaCORI embraces art to boost coffee growing in Northern Uganda
The initiative, named WALK – an acronym for West Nile, Acholi, Lango, and Karamoja – aims to raise awareness through art exhibitions, physical fitness activities, football matches, and community outreach on the benefits of coffee consumption
JINJA CITY, July 3, 2025 –– The National Coffee Resources Research Institute [NaCORRI] has launched an innovative campaign using art and cultural activities to promote coffee farming and consumption in Northern Uganda.
The initiative, named WALK – an acronym for West Nile, Acholi, Lango, and Karamoja – aims to raise awareness through art exhibitions, physical fitness activities, football matches, and community outreach on the benefits of coffee consumption.
The campaign also focuses on demonstrating the financial potential of coffee farming and providing agricultural advisory services. Other promotional events include fashion shows themed around the natural flavour of coffee, artistic creativity, live performances, traditional dances, and symbolic portrayals of coffee’s energising role in the community.
Speaking at the launch of the WALK campaign on Tuesday evening at the Agricultural Showgrounds in Jinja City, NaCORRI Executive Director, Geoffrey Arinaitwe, said the institute’s research confirms that coffee is a viable and promising crop for Northern Uganda.
He urged farmers to seize the opportunity and grow the crop. “Growing coffee is not about prestige – it is a clear route out of poverty. When a wealthy person buys coffee, they are supporting a smallholder farmer. Let us grow more coffee and invest in value addition for sustainable prosperity,” Arinaitwe said.
It has been less than a decade since coffee growing began to gain ground in the northern region, which historically focused on cotton under colonial cash crop zoning policies that sidelined coffee.
NaCORRI has since developed several coffee varieties, from KR1 through to KR10. The most recent strains – KR8, KR9, and KR10 – are particularly drought-resistant, making them well-suited to Northern Uganda’s climatic conditions.
Paul Mwambu, the Commissioner for Plant Health at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, praised the WALK campaign and encouraged farmers to embrace coffee farming as a dependable source of income.
He also announced that China has opened a new market for Ugandan coffee, urging farmers to boost production and prioritise value addition to maximise returns.
Uganda has become Africa’s leading coffee exporter after overtaking Ethiopia for the first time in recent history, according to the recent data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.
In May 2025 alone, Uganda exported 793,445 60-kilogramme bags of coffee, equivalent to 47,606.7 metric tonnes, earning approximately US$ 243 million in revenue. This volume surpasses Ethiopia’s export tally of 43,481.02 tonnes for the same month, marking a significant turning point in the continent’s competitive coffee trade.
https://thecooperator.news/ugandas-coffee-exports-surge-in-may-2025-new-report/
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