Members of Parliament (MPs) from coffee-growing areas have rejected the proposal to abolish the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and transfer its functions to the Ministry of Agriculture. They argue that such a move would cause coffee to suffer the same fate as vanilla and tea, which have declined under the Ministry of Agriculture’s oversight.
During the plenary session on Thursday, the MPs questioned why Parliament should legislate based on the assumption that the Ministry of Agriculture may one day have the capacity to manage Uganda’s coffee sector, especially when performance and audit reports indicate that the Ministry is underperforming in all projects under its management.
Joseph Ssewungu (Kalungu West) questioned why the government is so opposed to Ugandans becoming prosperous, stating, “You killed coffee after fighting the NRA battle, and people have struggled to revive it through UCDA. People have started growing coffee, and UCDA has given them support. Why do you fear people becoming rich? Why? Why do you fear people having money?”
Ssewungu added that the Ministry of Agriculture lacks both the capability and the capacity to take on the roles and functions of UCDA. He further explained that UCDA is crucial for maintaining the quality and competitiveness of Ugandan coffee in the global market.
Bright Rwamirama, Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, argued that most of the MPs’ debate was based on misinformation, which is why the government provided a three-year transitional period to address this lack of understanding among stakeholders.
Efforts by some MPs to prevent the second reading of the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, were unsuccessful, as 159 MPs voted in favor of advancing the Bill to the Committee stage, while 77 MPs wanted it dropped. Consideration of the Bill will resume when Parliament reconvenes.
UCDA was established in 1991. Between September 2023 and August 2024, Uganda earned $1.35 billion from coffee exports.
