This archive report was first published on 22 July 2019.
Published on July 22, 2019, a bill before the Ugandan parliament has ignited a heated debate over proposed regulations in the coffee sector.
The National Coffee Bill 2018 seeks to regulate on-farm and off-farm activities within the coffee value chain by issuing licenses to farmers and traders.
Agriculture Minister Vincent Bamulangaki Sempijja stated that the bill aims to enhance the quality of coffee exported by Uganda, citing the high demand for quality coffee in the global market.
However, the bill has faced opposition from the National Agricultural Research Organisation and the National Coffee Research Institute, who argue that the registration clause will push out small-scale farmers.
According to the bill, all commercial farmers with more than 50 trees are required to register, leaving small-scale farmers with less than 50 trees at a disadvantage.
Opponents of the bill contend that this will reduce the total output produced annually and hinder efforts to increase production.
Uganda, the second-largest coffee exporter in Africa, aims to increase its exports to 20 million bags by 2020, but faces an arduous task in achieving this target.
