Stop over spacing coffee trees, experts tell Uganda

As Uganda pulls strides to attain the target of 20 million bags of coffee by 2025, experts argues that there is a need for farmers to change the practice of over spacing coffee trees to enable  high output.

While addressing the youth at the first ever Uganda Coffee Power Talk aimed at attracting youth into the coffee value chain, Joseph Nkandu, the managing director NUCAFE, said at a lot of space is wasted in over spacing coffee and this needs to change.

Uganda currently produces 4.6million bags of coffee as of 2016 report but according to experts in the coffee industry the country has the capability of producing more than that.

“We are looking at producing 20million bags but if we are to continue with the planting style of over spacing the trees then it will require us to have 20 million hectares of land which isn’t possible with this growing population,” said Nkandu.

Currently farmers give a space of 3 metres between each tree which makes the planting density low hence low output.

‘This is the time that we must do things different from what we have been doing before; the country has to apply science if they aim at being on the same level like the Brazil," he said.

Nkandu added that the country has the highest population of both women and youth but these are absent from the coffee production chain yet they can also bring a change in the sector.

"We need to work in an eco system without leaving out any part. We know women and youth don’t have land to grow coffee and others can wait that long to earn from coffee but they can do nurseries for coffee to earn a leaving and other things."

He cautioned farmers to stop selling red cherries of coffee or else they will die poor as they continue to earn little from their sweat.