Will WCR’s coffee seed and nursery development initiative help Uganda achieve its ambitions?

In UCDA’s Coffee Roadmap, the Organization clearly states the expected progress in the new period. Prominent are big goals such as developing and improving productivity and expanding production land area by 20%. Growth in coffee output is also expected to reach 20 million bags in the period 2025-2030. According to expert analysts, these are ambitious numbers given the situation of Uganda’s coffee industry. Because coffee contributes nearly 1/3 of the country’s export income, but more than 90% is produced by small-scale farmers. Farmers’ access to high-quality beans, modern equipment, and advanced techniques is still weak. The farm is also not heavily invested in due to limited capital.

Uganda’s coffee industry targets output growth of 20 million bags in the period 2025-2030

To achieve this goal, Ugandan departments have collaborated with organizations around the world to develop initiatives to promote transformation. In particular, WCR coordinates with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and the Uganda National Coffee Research Institute (NaCORI) to develop initiatives to develop coffee nurseries and varieties throughout all regions of Uganda. The project aims to actively strengthen the nursery and seed sector, a concerted effort aimed at quadrupling coffee production to 20 million bags by 2030. Nursery training materials, WCR said, and workshops for incubator operators will be initiated and implemented. Quality seeds and equipment will be distributed to growing areas in Uganda to improve access to resources and increase production efficiency. Specifically, they will deliver 100,000 healthy NARO Kituza Robusta (KR) to farmers, while supporting an increase in the supply of high-quality planting material in the future.

WCR, UCDA and NaCORI develop an initiative to develop coffee nurseries and varieties in Uganda

According to Sjaak De Bloois, Head of Agronomy & Sustainability at UGACOF, the initial steps of the project have quickly brought positive signals. Nearly 50,000 KR plants have been supplied to commercial farmers in the Greater Masaka region. Coffee farmers are now able to manage and maintain their nurseries. The remaining 50,000 plants will be made available to farmers by 2024. Additionally, more than 2,000 farmers in Uganda are being supported with resources to set up and manage micro-nurseries. WCR conducted a five-day training course in Masaka to educate 393 nursery operators, who are responsible for producing more than 2 million plants each year, on best agricultural practices to optimize establish, and manage Robusta coffee nurseries.

Nearly 50,000 KR plants have been supplied to farmers in the Greater Masaka region

Dr Gerald Kyalo, UCDA Director of Agricultural Development Services, said that nursery training has contributed significantly to improving the skills of operators in the Masaka region. This has improved quality and productivity for most growing regions in the country. The technologies provided by the training courses are very useful in improving and renovating coffee gardens, and can also be applied to replace varieties and improve production and productivity. Through that, experts believe that when WCR’s nursery project is completed, achieving a 4-fold increase in output in the period 2025 – 2030 is completely possible.

According to the plan, Uganda is likely to soon achieve its set growth target

With the joint action of organizations, WCR’s nursery and seed development initiative can help Uganda’s coffee industry reach promising growth levels. If you are looking forward to the results of this project, follow XLIII Coffee’s Journal updates to update the latest coffee industry news!

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