Press briefing by Hon. Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja – Minister of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries.
The Ministry of Agriculture through Uganda Coffee Development Authority, District Local Governments and Operation Wealth Creation has been implementing a coffee planting program.
The objective of the program was to raise, distribute and plant 300 million coffee seedlings per year, thereby contributing to attainment of 20 million bags per year target envisioned in the Coffee Road map recently launched by H.E. the President.
In the last four years, close to 800 million coffee seedlings have been raised and planted by farmers. Starting with the second planting season of September-November 2019, the Ministry will start scaling down the production and distribution of elite Robusta coffee seedlings to farmers.
However the promotion of multiplication of Coffee Wilt Disease Resistant (CWDR) clonal cuttings through establishment of mother gardens will continue. All coffee nursery operators with elite Robusta coffee seedlings should, with immediate effect scale down seedlings production so as not to have any carry over stock.
No certificate will be issued to a new elite Robusta coffee nursery, except to operators in drought prone districts in Northern Uganda and parts of North Eastern and Eastern Uganda. Production of coffee seedlings in the Arabica coffee growing districts, in limited quantities, shall continue but under strict guidance from UCDA.
Coffee nursery operators who wish to plant their already raised coffee seedlings in their gardens before the end of the second season of 2019 are free to do so as long as verification by UCDA and District Local Government Officials confirm.
Propagation of Coffee Wilt Disease Resistant clonal cuttings in Robusta Coffee growing areas, shall continue and be scaled up, but under strict guidance from UCDA.
Only mature and quality coffee seedlings which will have been certified and are available before the end of the second planting season will be procured by UCDA.
After the second season of 2019, the government shall redirect the support towards coffee productivity enhancement programs. Farmers in Robusta Coffee growing areas who may wish to plant the old clonal coffee lines may continue to do so at their own cost.
Coffee seed gardens shall continue to be certified by NaCORI and UCDA on behalf of MAAIF and any nursery operator that may wish to privately engage in elite coffee seedlings production must first get clearance from UCDA.
