Coffee production in Uganda

Last updated

A female coffee farmer at a field training school Female farmer benefits from agricultural training (6594883811).jpg
A female coffee farmer at a field training school

Coffee is Uganda's top-earning export crop. [1] In 1989 Uganda's coffee production capacity exceeded its quota of 2.3 million bags, but export volumes were still diminished by economic and security problems, and large amounts of coffee beans were still being smuggled out of Uganda for sale in neighbouring countries. Uganda is one of the few countries in the world with indigenous coffee, with Robusta coffee growing wild around Lake Victoria. [2]

Contents

Some coffee farmers cultivated cocoa trees on land already producing robusta coffee. Cocoa production declined in the 1970s and 1980s, however, and market conditions discouraged international investors from viewing it as a potential counterweight to Uganda's reliance on coffee exports. Locally produced cocoa was of high quality, however, and the government continued to seek ways to rehabilitate the industry. Coffee production remained low during the late 1980s, rising from 1,000 tons in 1986 to only 5,000 tons in 1989. [3] The Uganda Coffee Development Authority was formed in 1991 by government decree, in line with the liberalization of the coffee industry.

Robusta coffee grows natively in the Kampala forest area and the Lake Victoria Crescent. [4] From 1999 to 2002 an effort was made to commercialize this coffee as a premium consumer brand, emulating and extending the success of shade grown in Central America. The Kibale Wild Coffee Project, an initiative that involved international organizations such as the World Bank and United States Agency for International Development, aimed to implement sustainable harvest of coffee from Uganda's natural reserves and guarantee compensation for all workers involved in the harvest. Revenue from the coffee production was intended to finance conservation management activities. [5] [6]

Coffee berries on a branch Coffee berries on a branch.JPG
Coffee berries on a branch

Arabica coffee grows around the slopes of Mount Elgon. The coffee was introduced to Uganda from Ethiopia and naturalised along the slopes of Mount Elgon. [7]

1980s

Coffee continued to be Uganda's most important cash crop throughout the 1980s. The government estimated that farmers planted approximately 191,700 hectares of robusta coffee, most of this in south-eastern Uganda, and about 33,000 hectares of arabica coffee in high-altitude areas of south-eastern and south western Uganda. These figures remained almost constant throughout the decade, although a substantial portion of the nation's coffee output was smuggled into neighbouring countries to sell at higher prices. Between 1984 and 1986, the European Economic Community (EEC) financed a coffee rehabilitation program that gave improved coffee production a high priority. This program also supported research, extension work, and training programs to upgrade coffee farmers' skills and understanding of their role in the economy. Some funds were also used to rehabilitate coffee factories. [3]

When the National Resistance Movement seized power in 1986, Museveni set high priorities on improving coffee production, reducing the amount of coffee smuggled into neighbouring countries, and diversifying export crops to reduce Uganda's dependence on world coffee prices. To accomplish these goals, in keeping with the second phase of the coffee rehabilitation program, the government raised coffee prices paid to producers in May 1986 and February 1987, claiming that the new prices more accurately reflected world market prices and local factors, such as inflation. The 1987 increase came after the Coffee Marketing Board launched an aggressive program to increase export volumes. Parchment (dried but unhulled) robusta producer prices rose from USh  24/= to 29/= per kilogram. Clean (hulled) robusta prices rose from 44/40 to 53/70 per kilogram. Prices for parchment arabica, grown primarily in the Bugisu district of south-eastern Uganda, reached 62/50 a kilogram, up from 50/=. Then in July 1988, the government again raised coffee prices from 50/= per kilogram to 111/= per kilogram for robusta, and from 62/= to 125/= per kilogram for arabica. [3]

By December 1988, the Coffee Marketing Board was unable to pay farmers for new deliveries of coffee or to repay loans for previous purchases. The board owed USh 1,000 million to its suppliers and USh 2,500 million to the commercial banks, and although the government agreed to provide the funds to meet these obligations, some of them remained unpaid for another year. [3]

Uganda was a member of the International Coffee Organization (ICO), a consortium of coffee-producing nations that set international production quotas and prices. The ICO set Uganda's annual export quota at only 4 percent of worldwide coffee exports. During December 1988, a wave of coffee buying pushed the ICO price up and triggered two increases of 1 million (60- kilogram) bags each in worldwide coffee production limits. The rising demand and rising price resulted in a 1989 global quota increase to 58 million bags. Uganda's export quota rose only by about 3,013 bags, however, bringing it to just over 2.3 million bags. Moreover, Uganda's entire quota increase was allocated to arabica coffee, which was grown primarily in the small southeastern region of Bugisu. In revenue terms, Uganda's overall benefit from the world price increase was small, as prices for robusta coffee—the major export—remained depressed. [3]

In 1989 Uganda's coffee production capacity exceeded its quota of 2.3 million bags, but export volumes were still diminished by economic and security problems, and large amounts of coffee were still being smuggled out of Uganda for sale in neighbouring countries. Then in July 1989, the ICO agreement collapsed, as its members failed to agree on production quotas and prices, and they decided to allow market conditions to determine world coffee prices for two years. Coffee prices plummeted, and Uganda was unable to make up the lost revenues by increasing export volumes. In October 1989, the government devalued the shilling, making Uganda's coffee exports more competitive worldwide, but Ugandan officials still viewed the collapse of the ICO agreement as a devastating blow to the local economy. Fears that 1989 earnings for coffee exports would be substantially less than the US$264 million earned the previous year proved unfounded. Production in 1990, however, declined more than 20 percent to an estimated 133,000 tons valued at US$142 million because of drought, management problems, low prices, and a shift from coffee production to crops for local consumption. [3]

Some coffee farmers cultivated cocoa plants on land already producing robusta coffee. Cocoa production declined in the 1970s and 1980s, however, and market conditions discouraged international investors from viewing it as a potential counterweight to Uganda's reliance on coffee exports. Locally produced cocoa was of high quality, however, and the government continued to seek ways to rehabilitate the industry. Production remained low during the late 1980s, rising from 1,000 tons in 1986 to only 5,000 tons in 1989. [3]

1990s

After exiting the International Coffee Organization, the Ugandan government continued its efforts to vitalize its international coffee export economy. In 1991, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) was formed by government decree, in line with the liberalization of the coffee industry. [8] The UCDA is administered by the Ugandan Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries. [9] During its tenure in the 1990s, the UCDA oversaw an exponential increase in coffee exports. In part due to the high price of the commodity on the international market that compensated the low production rates coming out of the 1980s. During the period between 1993 and 1997, international sales of robusta coffee increased to 110,000 tons per year. [10]

2000s-today

Coffee production in Uganda eventually encountered another slow down at the turn of the century. One of the primary reasons for this export drop resulted from the decreased demand for coffee, and consequently, a lower market price for the commodity. Additionally, Uganda's capacity to produce coffee was hindered by the onset of a widespread case of coffee-wilt disease, a fungus-induced wilt that results in complete death of coffee plants. Trees that suffer from coffee-wilt disease are not salvageable, and must be completely rooted out before it can spread to other trees or the soil. By 2003, as many as 45% of the nation's robusta coffee trees died from coffee-wilt disease. [10] As a result, exports dropped dramatically, falling from 143,441 tons in 2000 to 122,369 tons in 2004. [11]

Arabica production

Shade trees Shade Trees.JPG
Shade trees
Pulping process

Arabica coffee is usually grown in mixed farms with food crops for home consumption like beans, peanuts and bananas. It is mainly grown under shade trees that ensure sustainable coffee production. The leaves that fall from the shade trees provide manure for the coffee plants.

In Mbale the planting season for Arabica coffee is between March and April and harvesting is between August and November. The coffee trees are pruned from December to February before the planting season. The trees flower during the dry season. However Bugisu cooperative union always finds policies of ensuring good coffee production and harvesting that meet the world standards Bugisu Co-operative Union Limited

Post harvesting

Arabica coffee initially goes through wet processing, which involves pulping (removal of pulp and mucilage) and washing the coffee beans. Pulping is the removal of the outer skin of the harvested red coffee berries. After pulping the mucilage around the bean is removed by use of water. The coffee beans are washed in a sisal made basket known as a washing basket. [12]

Farmers then have two options for drying their coffee beans. Either they dry them under the sun until they reach the required moisture content or they pay to have them dried at a coffee factory. The remaining process involves removing the coffee husks, sorting of the different coffee bean sizes, roasting, grinding and packaging.

Robusta production

Robusta coffee, which is made from the plant coffea canephora, mainly grows in the Lake Victoria Basin. [13] It is known for low acidity and high bitterness in relation to coffee made from coffea arabica. Robusta beans tend to grow in lower altitudes than those of Arabica beans, ranging between 200–800 meters above sea level. [14] It is also a more robust crop in terms of production because it generates more obtainable product per area than arabica does and the costs of harvesting its coffee beans is substantially lower than arabica. Another unique advantage of the robusta strain of the plant is its relative resilience to wilts and plant diseases, making it a less risky crop to rely on. However because of its high bitterness, it is considered to be a less popular on the global market in relation to arabica. [15] However despite being a more plentiful crop that is resilient to disease, robusta coffee is particularly susceptible to climate change. Studies project that a 2 degree Celsius increase in temperature can severely reduce the amount of coffea canephora that can grow in Uganda. [16]

Kibale Wild Coffee Project

Purpose

Robusta coffee grows natively in the Kibale forest area. From 1999 to 2002 an effort was made to commercialize this coffee as a premium consumer brand, emulating and extending the success of shade grown in Central America. Revenue from the coffee production was intended to finance conservation management activities. [5] [6]

Initial funding for project development came from USAID. [6] The project was implemented with funding from the Ford Foundation and $750,000 from the World Bank Global Environment Facility. The project had initial success in setting up local production standards, procedures, and control infrastructure. Initially it was led by the Uganda Coffee Trade Federation, until the independent US-based non-profit Kibale Forest Foundation was created to take over the project. The Kibale Forest Foundation, which was fully acknowledged and officiated by Uganda's government, was primarily tasked with inspecting the processes of wild coffee harvest and ensuring that the workers involved in this production were compensated. Compensation included both direct payment via wages as well as predetermined public projects, which were planned in accordance with community preferences. [6] Sustainable annual yield was estimated at 1,500 pounds (680 kg).

Reducing gender inequality was another objective of the project. [13] Women at the time were the bulk of the agricultural workforce, responsible for 50% of cash crop production, which includes coffee. [13] Part of enforcing quality standards of coffee production chains in Uganda was to ensure that there were no more wage disparities between men and women.

Organic certification was delivered by the Swedish KRAV labeling firm ever since 1994. [17] One method of organic certification was through the implementation of the Export Promotion of Organic Production Program (EPOPA), which provides assistance for achieving certification and establishing internal control systems (ICSs) for project marketing. [17]

Dissolution

It was subsequently discovered that there was no demand for the product, as the robusta variety is perceived as inferior to arabica coffee typically demanded by the premium market. Various blending schemes were turned down by coffee distributors. Project leaders estimated that $800,000 in marketing expenditure would be required to create demand. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Coffea canephora</i> Species of coffee plant

Coffea canephora is a species of coffee plant that has its origins in central and western sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. Though widely known as Coffea robusta, the plant is scientifically identified as Coffea canephora, which has two main varieties, robusta and nganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economics of coffee</span>

Coffee is a popular beverage and an important commodity. Tens of millions of small producers in developing countries make their living growing coffee. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world daily. Over 90 percent of coffee production takes place in developing countries — mainly South America — while consumption happens primarily in industrialized economies. There are 25 million small producers who rely on coffee for a living worldwide. In Brazil, where almost a third of the world's coffee is produced, over five million people are employed in the cultivation and harvesting of over three billion coffee plants; it is a more labor-intensive culture than alternative cultures of the same regions, such as sugar cane or cattle, as its cultivation is not automated, requiring frequent human attention.

Uganda's favorable soil conditions and climate have contributed to the country's agricultural success. Most areas of Uganda have usually received plenty of rain. In some years, small areas of the southeast and southwest have averaged more than 150 millimeters per month. In the north, there is often a short dry season in December and January. Temperatures vary only a few degrees above or below 20 °C but are moderated by differences in altitude.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Laos</span>

The southeast Asian country of Laos, with a landmass of 23.68 million hectares, has at least 5 million hectares of land suitable for cultivation. Seventeen percent of this land area is actually cultivated, less than 4 percent of the total area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Indonesia</span>

Indonesia was the fourth-largest producer of coffee in the world in 2014. Coffee cultivation in Indonesia began in the late 1600s and early 1700s, in the early Dutch colonial period, and has played an important part in the growth of the country. Indonesia is geographically and climatologically well-suited for coffee plantations, near the equator and with numerous interior mountainous regions on its main islands, creating well-suited microclimates for the growth and production of coffee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in India</span>

Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with Karnataka accounting for 71%, followed by Kerala with 21% and Tamil Nadu. Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight anywhere in the world. There are about 250,000 coffee growers in the country; 98% of them are small growers. As of 2009, Indian coffee made up just 4.5% of the global production, being the 7th largest producer of coffee. Almost 80% of Indian coffee is exported; 70% is bound for Germany, Russia, Spain, Belgium, Libya, Poland, Jordan, Malaysia, U.S.A, Slovenia and Austria. Italy accounts for 20.37% of the exports. Most of the export is shipped through the Suez Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in the Philippines</span>

Coffee is an important agricultural product in the Philippines, and is one of the Philippines' most important export products aside from being in high demand in the country's local consumer market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Bolivia</span>

The role of agriculture in the Bolivian economy in the late 1980s expanded as the collapse of the tin industry forced the country to diversify its productive and export base. Agricultural production as a share of GDP was approximately 23 percent in 1987, compared with 30 percent in 1960 and a low of just under 17 percent in 1979. The recession of the 1980s, along with unfavorable weather conditions, particularly droughts and floods, hampered output. Agriculture employed about 46 percent of the country's labor force in 1987. Most production, with the exception of coca, focused on the domestic market and self-sufficiency in food. Agricultural exports accounted for only about 15 percent of total exports in the late 1980s, depending on weather conditions and commodity prices for agricultural goods, hydrocarbons, and minerals.

Kyagalanyi Coffee Limited is a private company in Uganda, involved in coffee procurement, processing and export.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Brazil</span> Largest national coffee production in the world

Brazil produces about a third of the world's coffee, making the country by far the world's largest producer. Coffee plantations, covering some 27,000 km2 (10,000 sq mi), are mainly located in the southeastern states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná where the environment and climate provide ideal growing conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Laos</span>

Laos produces two main types of coffee: Robusta and Arabica. Robusta is mainly used for regular coffee as well as a typical coffee drink in Laos where it is sweetened with condensed milk. The latter, Arabica, is of a higher quality due to its mild taste, and it is used for espresso. For the 20,000 tons of coffee that Laos produces a year, 5,000 tons are Arabica beans and 15,000 tons are Robusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Nicaragua</span>

Coffee production in Nicaragua has been an important part of its history and economy. It is one of the country's principal products. The areas most suitable for the cultivation of coffee have been Managua Department, Diriamba, San Marcos, Jinotepe, as well as the vicinity of Granada Department, Lake Nicaragua, Chontales Department, and in Nueva Segovia; historically, the best coffee is produced in Matagalpa and in Jinotega. Most of the coffee was grown in Managua Department, but Matagalpa Department produced the best bean quality. The most convenient altitude to grow coffee is 800 meters above the sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Tanzania</span>

Coffee production in Tanzania is a significant aspect of its economy as it is Tanzania's largest export crop. Tanzanian coffee production averages between 30,000 and 40,000 metric tons annually of which approximately 70% is Arabica and 30% is Robusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Cuba</span>

Coffee has been grown in Cuba since the mid-18th century. Boosted by French farmers fleeing the revolution in Haiti, coffee farms expanded from the western plains to the nearby mountain ranges. Coffee production in eastern Cuba significantly increased during the 19th and early 20th centuries. At its peak production, Cuba exported more than 20,000 metric tons of coffee beans per year in the mid-1950s. After the Cuban Revolution and the nationalization of the coffee industry, coffee production slowly began to decline until it reached all time lows during the Great Recession. Once a major Cuban export, it now makes up an insignificant portion of Cuban trade. By the 21st century, 92 percent of the country's coffee was grown in area of the Sierra Maestra mountains. All Cuban coffee is exported by Cubaexport, which pays regulated prices to coffee growers and processors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> Coffee as an agricultural commodity in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Coffee production in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is centered in the Lake Kivu provinces. There are about 11,000 coffee farmers in the country who produce two main species of coffee, Robusta and Arabica.

Coffee production in Panama was occurring in the Boquete Valley by the early 20th century, although coffee was growing wild all over the Pacific coast region of Panama by this time, when production did not match domestic consumption. The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has grouped mild arabica as the variety of coffee that is grown in Panama. The best quality of coffee in Panama is grown in Boquete. In the Coffee Review of 2008, two Panamanian coffees have received higher rating and fetched record prices than the coffee from Costa Rica. This is mainly due to the unprecedented success of the Geisha varietal. This varietal originated from and arrived via Tanzania and Costa Rica in the 1960s in Panama. But only in 2004, its outstanding taste profile was recognized. In 2019 one pound of Panama Geisha beans fetched $1,029 in an auction.

Coffee production in the Dominican Republic is based mainly in the mountain regions of the country, in the highlands which form at least one-half of the area of Hispaniola. Introduced to the country in 1715, the Dominican Republic bean is larger and thicker than Martinique's. The major coffee variety grown in the country is Arabica. Robusta is also grown but only in about 1.3% of the land area; it is consumed locally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Cameroon</span>

Coffee production is very important for the economy of Cameroon The crop is grown extensively in the country, with robusta more prevalent in the coastal areas and arabica more widespread in the western highlands. The two varieties of arabica cultivated are Java and Jamaïca of which only Java is resistant to pests such as coffee berry disease and rust. In 2014, Cameroon was ranked the 31st largest producer of coffee in world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee production in Thailand</span>

Thailand is one of the top 25 coffee producers in the world as of 2014, but its status as a coffee origin has not been widely known. Thailand traditionally produced mainly Robusta for industrial use, but the country has quickly become an exciting emerging origin for specialty Arabica and fine Robusta coffees. The origin is unique in that it exports very little coffee and most of the consumption remains in the country. There is a booming specialty coffee ecosystem where farmers, roasters, cafes and consumers symbiotically co-exist. It is often seen as an example of a working coffee ecosystem for an origin where coffee produced is sustainable from both economic and environmental perspectives.

The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) is a government agency mandated to "regulate, promote and oversee the quality of coffee along the entire value chain, support research and development, promote production, and improve the marketing of coffee in order to optimize foreign exchange earnings for the country and payments to the farmers.

References

  1. ↑ Nakaweesi 2013.
  2. ↑ Hoffmann, James (2018). The World Atlas of Coffee 2nd Edition. Great Britain: Mitchell Beazley. p. 154. ISBN   978-1-78472-429-0.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Byrnes 1992.
  4. ↑ "Coffee Sector Profile" (PDF). Uganda Investment Authority. Uganda Investment Authority. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Johnson 2002.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Lilieholm & Weatherly 2010.
  7. ↑ "Uganda Invest". Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2014-12-29.
  8. ↑ "ugandacoffee.org". Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
  9. ↑ "Directorate of Crop Resources – Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries" . Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  10. 1 2 Bolwig, Simon; You, Liangzhi (June 2007). "Quality or volume? An economic evaluation of coffee development strategies for Uganda". Development in Practice. 17 (3): 433–438. doi:10.1080/09614520701337285. ISSN   0961-4524. S2CID   154241021.
  11. ↑ Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) (1997-2003) 'Annual Report', Kampala: UCDA. https://ugandacoffee.go.ug/annual-reports
  12. ↑ "Uganda Coffee trade".
  13. 1 2 3 Deborah Kasente (March 2012). "Fair Trade and organic certification in value chains: lessons from a gender analysis from coffee exporting in Uganda". Gender & Development. 20 (1): 111–127. doi:10.1080/13552074.2012.663627. ISSN   1355-2074. S2CID   154652059.
  14. ↑ "What's the Difference Between Arabica and Robusta Coffee?". The Roasterie. 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  15. ↑ "Coffee Plant: Arabica and Robusta - CoffeeResearch.org". www.coffeeresearch.org. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  16. ↑ "Impact of Temperature Rise on Robusta Coffee in Uganda | GRID-Arendal". www.grida.no. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  17. 1 2 Gibbon, Peter. A Short History of Certified Organic Export Production in Uganda. Danish Institute for International Studies, 2006, pp. 1–3, AN OVERVIEW OF THE CERTIFIED ORGANIC EXPORT SECTOR IN UGANDA, www.jstor.org/stable/resrep15684.5. Accessed 12 May 2020.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.