Government has launched an ambitious coffee production campaign aimed at transforming the Bukedi sub-region into one of Uganda’s leading coffee-growing and export zones while improving livelihoods for more than 200,000 households through commercial agriculture.
The campaign was launched in Tororo by Vice President Jesca Alupo, who was accompanied by Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth Oboth, Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze and other senior government officials.
The leaders spent the day engaging farmers and local leaders from the seven districts that make up the Bukedi sub-region, encouraging communities to embrace coffee production as a pathway to increased household incomes.
The activities began with a visit to Bukedi Coffee Limited in Magola Sub-county, where a 70-acre demonstration coffee plantation has been established to showcase the region’s potential for large-scale coffee production.
The company is seeking a Public-Private Partnership with government to expand coffee growing across Bukedi. Under the proposed arrangement, the company plans to establish more than 111,000 acres of coffee plantations and produce five million high-quality coffee seedlings annually.
However, Bukedi Coffee Limited Board Chairman John Okware said the expansion programme faces challenges, particularly prolonged drought that threatens coffee establishment and productivity.
"Frequent droughts threaten coffee establishment and productivity in this area, necessitating investments in irrigation, water harvesting and community water-for-production systems. We need government intervention," Okware said.
Later, the leaders joined hundreds of farmers at Tororo Municipal Gardens for the official launch of the Bukedi Coffee Production Campaign.
Speaking at the event, Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze said government is aware of the increasing demand for coffee seedlings and is exploring measures to improve farmers’ access to planting materials.
He said farmers could benefit from free or subsidised coffee seedlings when the rainy season resumes.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth Oboth encouraged households across Bukedi to embrace coffee farming regardless of the size of their land.
He urged residents to utilise available land, including compounds, saying coffee has the potential to transform livelihoods and reduce poverty.
Vice President Jesca Alupo described coffee as a strategic enterprise that should complement other income-generating activities such as fruit growing, dairy farming, poultry and piggery.
She reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting farmers through the distribution of millions of coffee seedlings aimed at increasing household incomes and boosting Uganda’s export earnings.
Despite challenges including drought and limited access to seedlings, leaders pledged continued support for the initiative.
Minister Tumwebaze cautioned farmers against mismanaging government agricultural programmes, noting that some beneficiaries of previous interventions failed to utilise coffee seedlings because they underestimated their long-term value.
To strengthen commercial agriculture, the minister announced plans to establish a fully equipped sub-regional mechanisation centre in Tororo to serve farmers across Bukedi.
The facility will provide access to tractors and other modern agricultural equipment to improve production efficiency.
If successfully implemented, the Bukedi Coffee Production Campaign is expected to move hundreds of thousands of households from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture, create employment opportunities, increase incomes and position the region among Uganda’s leading coffee-producing areas.
