Coffee prices to hit Shs10,000 per kg this season
By Julius Odeke
4th April 2011:-
COFFEE CUP Chairman Nabutele: Photo by J. Odeke
Coffee farmers in Bugisu are all smiles after a local company promised to increase the price of coffee to Shs10,000 per kg. The Chairman of Community Organised Farmers From Elgon Escarpment Arabica Coffee Uganda Programme (COFFEE CUP), Mathias Nabutele, said that the new price takes effect immediately.
“…With effect from this harvesting season, coffee bean seeds shall be bought by this organisation at Shs10,000 per kilogramme so as to lift the welfare of the farmers in the region who survive on coffee”, Mr. Nabutele said. He added that the demand for coffee is very high on the international market and Uganda farmers should benefit from the rising prices.
Nabutele said the current farm rate of Shs4,000 for a kilogramme of Arabica coffee is demoralising farmers. He said coffee is being bought at the equivalent of Shs40,000 per kg in the United States of America—a huge difference with what farmers in Bugisu earn.
“…Nobody has come out clearly to offer a proper explanation why farmers have been cheated. That is why we want the coffee farmers in Elgon zone to know that the price they are being offered is meant to demoralise them from producing more coffee”, Nabutele said.
He further said that his organisation plans to establish an ecological wash station in Bududa to be used by farmers to pulp their coffee after harvesting. Other than that, he also said COFFEE CUP is ready to distribute over one million coffee seedlings to its farmers. “…We are not offering one million seedlings with strings attached. We simply want to encourage our people to grow more coffee and to replace the old trees”, Nabutele said.
Most of the coffee trees in Bugisu region are more than 50 years old and that, experts say, explains why both the quality and quantity of the yield is poor. END. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
