Addressing Inequities in Coffee Value Chain to curb Regional Inequality Gaps
My major critical emphasis today is that the inequities in the coffee value chain scaling up inequality gaps in Uganda is systematic by the current NRM regime through its agencies, ministries, and institutions.
Robert Kigongo
Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee this, coffee that, it’s the conversation on the lips of very concerned citizens from the corridors of power, smallholder coffee farmers, and social media addicts.
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The recent coffee conversation has been sparked by the government rationalization of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority ‘UCDA’ as it intends to cut down expenditures;
But largely what attracted the attention of the population into the coffee value chain debate are the rebuking tribal statements of 11th parliament Speaker Anita Annet Among towards Baganda as a tribe.
Amidst the fracas of careless whispers between Anita Among and Hamson Obua, my attention went to particularly the statements by Norbert Mao the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs among other representatives from the North.
Norbert Mao raised issues on the floor of parliament that the coffee debate sparks Political economy gaps in the so-called allocation of specialized crops, and how the British told a big lie that coffee doesn’t grow in Northern Uganda.
‘Subjecting people in the upper Nile to seasonal crops that are not rewarding while those in the south had perennial crops with the hidden purpose of northerners to roll into the army, Mao concluded UCDA has not helped them in the North they were on their own and proposed a fresh impetus’
Thoughtful Norbert Mao’s and northern legislator’s remarks against coffee are beyond merging UCDA but rather trying to magnify the root cause of gloss inequities and inequalities in Uganda.
However, Mao and other northerners' argument castigating Buganda as a sole coffee benefactor of UCDA is biased and criminally underscoring the current underlying factors escalating inequality gaps in Uganda.
Besides Buganda started growing Coffee way back before the colonialists came to East Africa.
Historically, the importance of coffee in Buganda goes beyond just economics, apart from coffee being the major cash crop for Buganda, culturally coffee is used as a means to tie kinships locally known as “entaba Luganda”,
The British colonial government leveraged existing Buganda’s efforts on coffee for agroecological zoning that was determined by the suitability of crops for different areas.
Factors like rain seasons and soil types were key determinants that’s why the Nile Region was zoned for annual crops like cotton and Sim Sim which require short rains and south was zoned for tea, coffee which require more rains, and mountainous areas.
I want to remind Mao and Northerners that coffee environmental favorable conditions were mostly in the south and the bulkiness needed proximity to export markets.
As is happening now in parliament and outside with the UCDA merger Buganda is trying to avoid another similar incident of the Lint marketing board for cotton that was dissolved without a spirited fight from the Nile people.
Perhaps if Link was still existing to date the inequality gaps, envy would not be an area of discussion.
As a thought leader, I don’t dismiss the gross inequality gaps in the country as a result of the unfair distribution of natural resources and strategic cash crops;
But am disputing the continued blame of the Buganda in south and British colonialists for inequities and inequality gaps yet ignoring the current strategic intentions in the national planning that is worsening inequalities based on regions and tribes in the 21st century.
My major critical emphasis today is that the inequities in the coffee value chain scaling up inequality gaps in Uganda is systematic by the current NRM regime through its agencies, ministries, and institutions.
After the abolishment of Uganda's coffee marketing board, Buganda's loud efforts to save UCDA from being merged undermine the fact that Buganda is not the current leading coffee producer but rather the Rwenzori and Ankole regions.
It’s even the hypocrisy of UCDA to lob Buganda and Bugishu region legislators for its survival with misrepresented facts while it invests almost three-thirds of its budget and foreign direct investments in the western region.
There is systematic ongoing unfair distribution of coffee resources among gazette coffee regions whereby western Uganda enjoys the British High Commission and European Union coffee-designed projects more than other regions.
This kind of unfairness in the distribution of coffee materials, projects, and capacity building gives the upper advantage that is worsening the inequality gaps.
For example, UCDA is partnering with Anglican and Catholic churches in Ankole and Rwenzori regions but not with Buganda or Bugishu or Northern Anglican and catholic churches, there is no problem supporting these churches it should be balanced among all coffee regions in the country.
The inequities in coffee seedlings distribution by UCDA start with varieties and quantities regions receive which gives a comparative advantage of yields and exports thus worsening inequality gaps.
Ignorantly while we glorify UCDA it's equally responsible for the inequality gaps indicated in the Multidimensional Poverty Index Report 2023 and Equal Opportunities Report 2023.
Coffee contributes 55 percent of agricultural exports earning Uganda and individuals a landslide gap of growth among regions.
The levels of inequality gaps have led to poverty, healthcare disparities, illiteracy, distrust, and diatribe that can easily escalate into civil unrest.
Therefore, equal distribution of strategic crops like Coffee, government jobs, and contracts for foreign direct investments across all regions can bridge inequality gaps and thus improve social and economic welfare for all.
Areas like northern Uganda among other regions can be given valley dams, irrigation systems, and agricultural equipment to engage with the massive production of coffee and other strategic crops.
Once the entire Uganda is on the same page of production and development envious statements from the Upper Nile against the South Nile will be unheard of due to the close inequality gaps.
Leverage on Agricultural revitalization by addressing inequities in agro-produce is key to addressing inequalities by the year 2030.
Robert Kigongo is a Sustainable development analyst.
