UCDA to build coffee analytical lab in Gulu City
Lira, January 30, 2024 – The Uganda Coffee Development Authority [ UCDA ] plans to establish a coffee analytical laboratory in Gulu City in the next five years, saying this will boost coffee production and processing.
This was revealed recently by UCDA officials who were in the region to see how coffee growing progressing as government intensifies its production.
They said the laboratory would be constructed in phases at a total cost of Shs 30 billion.
Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye, the UCDA Managing Director said the project is at the planning stage where they are engaging authorities of the entire Gulu.
“UCDA in the next five years projects to establish a Laboratory in Northern Uganda, the cost estimate after equipping the laboratory will be about 30billion but that’s going to be in phases. We are now on the feasibility study phase and we have talked to the Ministry of Finance,” said Iyamulemye.
He said that Gulu City which hosts an industrial hub in Northern Uganda favours the establishment of the coffee laboratory. He said UCDA will be able to work with other government agencies such as the Uganda Revenue Authority [URA], and Uganda National Bureau of Standards [UNBS] will have offices in the industrial hub.
“The UNBS, URA and other government facilities involved in exports will be here in Gulu, that’s one of the key reasons why we are establishing that coffee laboratory in the area,” said Lyamulemye.
He added that the laboratory will boost the consumption of coffee in Northern Uganda once established, as well as create jobs for people especially in hotels and restaurants among others.
“Brewing, and roasting of coffee is creating jobs for people. There are many hotels and catering institutions in Northern Uganda that don’t have skills to brew coffee and if you are going to attract many foreigners including the tourists, the only beverage they all look for in Uganda is coffee. Therefore, we want to make sure that most of the coffee grown in Northern Uganda is processed and consumed within the region,” he added.
Meanwhile, Philips Olet, Secretary of Amuca Coffee Producers and Marketing Cooperative Society Limited appealed to government to provide them with coffee processing machinery, saying this will promote value addition.
Denis Obak Okello, a resident of Abwong B village in Adyaka parish Agali Sub-county, Erute South said the facility if established, will save them from selling their coffee cheaply to the middlemen.
“We always sell our coffee at a loss to the middlemen, this time, we shall not be cheated if the facility is brought nearer to us,” Okello said.
https://thecooperator.news/ucda-donates-tools-to-namisindwa-model-farmers/
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