The Buganda Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Charles Peter Mayiga, has expressed strong disapproval of President Yoweri Museveni’s recent suggestion to dissolve the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
Mayiga emphasised that eliminating UCDA would destabilise the country’s coffee industry and disrupt the livelihoods of millions of Ugandans dependent on coffee production.
Museveni’s proposal to merge UCDA’s functions with other government bodies aims to streamline operations and cut down administrative redundancy.
“If UCDA and NAADS were effective, why were 68% of the homesteads still outside the money economy by 2013?” Museveni argued, suggesting that the UCDA’s impact has been insufficient.
However, Mayiga strongly countered this perspective, highlighting UCDA’s contributions to the coffee sector.
On Tuesday, he pointed out that leading coffee-producing nations like Brazil and Vietnam still export raw coffee beans, or “kase,” to markets in Europe and the United States, where fresh grinding at consumer outlets is preferred.
“Even in wealthier coffee-producing nations, the demand for raw beans remains high,” he said, underscoring the continuing relevance of the export model Uganda follows.
Mayiga praised UCDA for its collaboration on initiatives such as Buganda’s Emmwanyi Terimba program, launched in 2016 to reduce poverty in the region.
“UCDA’s involvement has been pivotal,” he noted, recalling the distribution of 10 million seedlings to farmers and the improvement in both crop quality and output. “UCDA has helped elevate our coffee’s standing globally,” Mayiga added, crediting the agency with promoting good farming practices and driving an increase in production.
Rather than dismantling UCDA, Mayiga urged the government to increase its funding to support research, improve crop quality, and explore new uses for coffee byproducts.
He further argued that UCDA is vital for popularising coffee consumption within Uganda and ensuring quality standards that can secure competitive prices internationally.
Mayiga also raised concerns about other government actions affecting the coffee industry, including the 2020 Coffee Bill, which proposed punitive measures against farmers who neglected their crops.
He further criticised the monopoly deal with Italian investor Enrica Pinetti, arguing that such agreements are often made without sufficient consultation with coffee sector stakeholders.
“When stakeholders’ views are not respected, it raises questions about the motives behind such policies,” Mayiga remarked, calling for greater transparency.
Members of Parliament from Buganda echoed Mayiga’s concerns last week, cautioning that dissolving UCDA could endanger the coffee sector, which supports over 12.5 million Ugandans.
Mayiga concluded by emphasising the importance of UCDA to Uganda’s economic health, urging the government to prioritise the needs of coffee-dependent communities as it considers future policy changes.
The debate over UCDA’s future is expected to intensify as coffee stakeholders, policymakers, and Ugandan citizens weigh the potential impacts on one of the country’s most significant export industries.