Member of the Month

August 2008: UGANDA COFFEE DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (UCDA)

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The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) was established by statutory mandate in 1991 following the liberalization of the coffee industry in Uganda.

Vision: Making Uganda a distinguished producer of high value coffee.

Mission: Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has a statutory mandate to promote and oversee the development of the entire coffee industry through research, quality assurance, improved marketing and providing for other matters connected therewith.

Goals:

• To promote, improve and monitor marketing of coffee to optimize foreign exchange earning and payment to farmers.
• To ensure that the quality of coffee exports meets international standards.
• To promote coffee as a value added product and other related industries.
• To promote domestic coffee consumption
• To harmonize activities of the coffee sub sector associations in line with industry strategic objectives
• To policy analysis and development

Services rendered:

• Registration of coffee sector players
• Registration of sales contracts
• Provision of regulatory and quality assurance during export processing
• Support coffee development through production and extension services
• Identification of priority areas for investment in the coffee sub sector
• Support production of clean planting materials through coffee research and nurseries
• Provision of price and production forecasts
• Collection, compilation, analysis and presentation of coffee trade statistics
• Support to coffee associations

Below are the different development programs that UCDA is focusing on in the coffee year 2006/07. These programs are also based on the outcome of the workshop held in September 2006 where both the private and public stakeholders identified key intervention areas to revamp coffee production to the original levels of 4 million bags per year by the year 2015:

1: Farmer Training and extension liaison
The objectives are to harmonize coffee extension under the decentralization system and to have a focused approach to coffee technology transfer. Activities include training of coffee farmers using the participatory approach through 1 day seminars and method and result demonstrations on existing coffee plots in 53 coffee districts.

2: Coffee research and technology development
The objective is to support coffee development through production and extension services. Deliberate support will be extended to the Coffee Research Institute, (CORI) on development and release of new coffee varieties (new Arabicas, Robusta and CWD resistant varieties). Through program based collaboration, Technology Development Sites are to be established and are to act as nuclei for formation of coffee villages and Farm Level Organizations (FLOs).

3: Coffee replanting
The objective is to support coffee production and provision of clean coffee planting materials through research and nurseries. Farmers will continue planting coffee in the fight against declining coffee export volumes.

All stakeholders will be involved in adoption and implementation of coffee replanting. The approach is to have a demand driven program that is participatory, cost effective and sustainable.

Support will be extended for restoration of production capacity of coffee planting materials.

Coffee farming communities in all coffee areas are to be organized and supported by UCDA to establish Community Based Nurseries through provision of elite coffee seed, shade tree seeds, polypots and training in nursery management and coffee husbandry. The coffee farming communities on the other hand are to provide labor, potting medium and local shade material and later share out the coffee seedlings for planting.

Focused coffee replanting will be carried out for special interest groups, out growers, wet mills, nucleus farms and other selected areas.

Program Based Collaboration will be carried out with other stakeholders on mobilization, sensitization, technical preparation and follow-up on coffee nursery development and coffee replanting.

4: Socio-economic research
The objective is to update stakeholders on cost and profit trends at various levels in the coffee chain, establish the status and preparedness of farmers for uptake of organic coffee production and to evaluate performance, adaptability and farmers’ response to Arabica and Robusta coffee. Support will be extended to National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE) in data establishment and management of coffee farmers and their groups.

5: Monitoring and evaluation
The objective is to monitor and guide the implementation of all programs. Monitoring and Evaluation will be done on coffee replanting putting emphasis on farmers’ preparedness before receiving seedlings, survival rates of newly planted trees, farmer training sessions held and identifying particular areas that require action. Also, surveillance on pests and diseases, technology transfer will be carried out.

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