KATIKKIRO: Baganda urged to continue coffee cultivation even if UCDA is dissolved.

Buganda’s Prime Minister, Charles Peter Mayiga, has affirmed that coffee farming under their “Emmwanyi Terimba” initiative will persist despite the proposed dissolution of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). He encouraged Ugandans, particularly Baganda, to continue cultivating coffee, emphasizing that their livelihoods outweigh political motives. This comes after Parliament approved the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which suggests disbanding the UCDA after 32 years.

In a heated parliamentary session, representatives from coffee-growing regions clashed with those from non-coffee areas. Speaker Anita Among called for a rare division vote, where 159 MPs backed advancing the Bill for detailed scrutiny, while 77, mainly from the opposition, opposed it. Speaker Among later adjourned the session, leaving the Bill’s fate unresolved as she prepared for the Commonwealth Speakers’ Conference in India.

The Bill aligns with a government initiative to streamline agencies by reintegrating UCDA into the Ministry of Agriculture to reduce costs and improve efficiency. However, unlike previous agency dissolutions, UCDA’s merger sparked significant debate. State Minister for Agriculture, Bright Rwamirama, reassured Parliament that the transition, set over three years, would protect stakeholders’ interests, but concerns linger about how the Ministry would handle UCDA’s responsibilities.

Two minority reports were submitted in opposition to the dissolution. The first, led by MP Asinasi Nyakato and others, argued for a specialized agency, as in other coffee-exporting countries like Brazil and Colombia, to avoid regulatory challenges. Meanwhile, Buganda’s leadership has repeatedly warned against dissolving the UCDA, which oversees an industry supporting two million households and where Baganda farmers account for nearly half of Uganda’s coffee exports.

MP Dr. Abed Bwanika, authoring a second minority report, proposed a five-year transition and sufficient funding for the Ministry to meet Uganda’s coffee export targets, raising concerns over potential quality control issues and adverse impacts on exports.

The National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, has sparked considerable debate, especially among MPs from coffee-growing areas, amid fears of destabilizing the sector. MPs from both sides underscored UCDA’s role in preserving coffee quality and export status, while opposition members stressed the need to consult their constituents on a measure that could affect the livelihoods of 12 million Ugandans.