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WHY I LIKE UGANDA COFFEE – HEMISH DAVE, EXPORT TRADE GROUP

By Hemish Dave, Regional Manager for East Africa, Export Trading Group

  1. Espresso, Filter Coffee or Cappuccino – How do you like your Uganda Coffee? & Why?
    I prefer my Cappuccinos, which for bring out the perfect mix of the mild acidity and fruity flavours from the coffee, and the sweetness from the layer of milk. (No sugar, of course!) I tend to have espressos in the office from our roasted samples when we try experiment with the various coffee that we deal with, to get a better understanding of what we are dealing with season to season. The extra caffeine buzz also definitely helps during the day!
  2. What do you Love Most about Uganda as a country?
    Having grown up in Kenya, Uganda offers a strong sense of what it was like growing up in Nairobi. Uganda also epitomises the East African culture of warmth and hospitality. Its no surprise that Uganda ranks high on the some of the World’s best places to live in for expatriates. The country’s beautiful hillsides make for spectacular landscapes, be in in Kampala or various upcountry locations.
  3. What makes Uganda so special among international buyers?
    Uganda offers high-quality robusta year round, which keeps the roaster’s supply chains flowing at all times. The recent intervention of the UCDA has also led not only to an increase in coffee production, but also improved quality. The Natural and Washed arabicas also have clear distinction from those of neighbouring producing countries, earning Ugandan coffee its own place with buyers through the years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

UGANDA’S ROADMAP TO ACCELERATED PRODUCTION OF COFFEE

By Dr. Emmanuel Iyamulemye, Managing Director, Uganda Coffee Development Authority.

Uganda is ranked as a top Commonwealth producer of coffee, the second largest African producer and seventh world producer. Coffee contributes about 30% of Uganda’s total export earnings. The country grows two types of coffee—Robusta and Arabica. The coffee yield is 700kg per hectare for traditional Robusta coffee, 2,500kg per hectare for clonal coffee and 600kg per hectare for Arabica coffee. Uganda produces an average of 4 million 60kg bags per year (80% Robusta and 20% Arabica). Robusta coffee is grown in low lands while Arabica coffee is grown in different highland areas of the country that is, on the slopes of Mount Elgon on the boarder of Kenya, on the slopes of the Mount Rwenzori on the border of DRC and in the west Nile region of the country.

There are currently, 1.7 million households in Uganda growing coffee. Of the 93 coffee growing districts 50 grow Robusta, 28 grow Arabica and 15 grow both with a potential for 324,000 ha of land area suitable for coffee production. Production has risen steadily since 2009/10 at 2.7 million 60kg bags to a high of 3.6 million bags in 2013/14. However, this declined in 2014/15 to 3.2 million bags before rising again to 3.5 million bags in 2015/16. The total annual volume of coffee exports for FY 2017/18 is projected at 3.9 million bags against a 2025 target of 20 million bags.

To read more please visit Page 28 to 30 of our July – September 2017 Magazine Issue

Concept Note for the Establishment Coffee Improvement Programme For Africa (CIPA)

By Dr Kimemia Joseph, Senior Researcher, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO)

Coffee is one of the leading foreign exchange earners for the producing countries in the African continent accounting for approximately 11% of the world’s total production (Fig 1) and roughly $2 billion in annual revenues.

There over 25 African countries producing both arabica and robusta coffee. In fact Africa is the center of origin for both arabica and robusta coffee species. There is therefore a huge untapped genetic potential for development of new varieties to suit various biotic and abiotic issues.

Over the past 20 years coffee production in Africa has been relatively stagnant or declining. This poses a problem even to roasters dependent on African coffees. They may shift to other origins with the possibility of not including the African coffees in their blend. This decline could be attributed to the fact that over 50% of the coffee trees in Africa are over 50 years old, most of the varieties used by producers are not disease resistant, poor soil fertility management, little work  been done on development of high performing coffee varieties and there is inadequate human resource capacity in breeding and seedling multiplication.

To read more please visit Page 32 to 33 of our July – September 2017 Magazine Issue.

Robusta Coffee in the Democratic Republic of Congo

By Kambale Kamungele, Export Director, Ets Tsongo Kasereka

The DRC is a country endowed with a tropical climate, fertile soil, abundant water resources, which offers favorable conditions for the cultivation of co ee. Despite its immense potential, the country’s coffee production and export volumes have been declining for the last three decades. A new approach for revamping the coffee industry is needed, if the country is to continue respond to the challenges of the needs of the rural farmers in the midst of an increasing global coffee consumption.

In the DRC coffee is mostly produced by smallholders in mixed farms where it is intercropped with subsistence crops such as banana, beans, which ensure households’ food security. Many varieties of coffee are available in the country but two major species are grown for commercial purposes;

To read more please visit Page 22 t0 23 of our July – September 2017 Magazine Issue.