17TH OCTOBER 2024.
BY,ISAAC SENABULYA
Members of parliament from Buganda Parliamentary Caucus have doubled down on their protest against the move by Government to transfer the functions of Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to the Ministry of Agriculture, wondering why Government is making a gamble with a sector that is doing well, and transfer it to an agency that is incompetent.
Leading the protests was Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County), who also doubles as Chairperson Buganda Parliamentary Caucus, while appearing before Parliament’s Agriculture Committee that is currently considering the rationalization Bills under the Agriculture sector.
Kivumbi said , “Many regions are now rolling out to go and grow coffee, so we expect that Uganda will be a huge coffee exporter but look at what Ethiopia has done, as we round up UCDA, Ethiopia has this year is going to export 3 billion coffee seedlings to boost their coffee industry. But here you are, rolling back coffee to an agency, Ministry of Agriculture, good as it is, has no capacity. So why do you make a gamble with a sector that is already doing well?”
He added, “I also chair the Public Accounts Committee, which has looked at the performance of the Ministry of Agriculture and in all the parameters we looked at, it is one of the most incompetent it has failed on almost everything. Actually, it wasn’t scoring a zero, it was scoring a minus in so many endevours in the Ministry.”
Nakaseke Central mp ,Allan Mayanja rejected the latest proposal to give UCDA a transition period of three years, saying there was been no justification brought forward by Government to justify the time frame.
“The Government isn’t giving a justification for the three years, why not five why not ten years? Why not 20 years? Why are we legislating in anticipation? Therefore, I request that we maintain the status quo and we reject this Bill,” said Mayanja.
Buikwe south mp Lulume Bayiga questioned the rationale behind Government’s decision to rationalize UCDA yet the agency isn’t parasitic, but is rather able to make money which is higher than its own budget and leave a huge portion to contribute to the national coffers.
“Unlike any other agency that Government is seeking to rationalise, this agency is making a good contribution to the national purse. That even if it stands alone, it can meet its own budget and even give the national purse money. the agency has generated income, higher than its budget. It is a milk cow that should be maintained with licensing alone, UCDA generated Shs82Bn alone in 2023/2024, this is was above its annual budget of Shs44.76Bn. which Ministry can put any claim to a project arising from its existence that is giving money to the national purse directly, such as this one,” noted Bayiga.
He added, “So it defeats the purpose of rationalizing it, it is parasitic, it is existing in this Government mutually, they are mutually beneficial, but on behalf of our people. There are questions that Government needs to answer, will Government of Uganda provide affordable export financing if at all multinational companies that bring in foreign exchange vacate or relocate to other countries?”
Kyotera district Fortunate Nantongo asked the Agriculture Committee to give MPs from coffee growing areas a stepping stone on which to stand on, to fight for the coffee sector otherwise, saying any decision to abolish UCDA would tantamount to throwing coffee farmers into a big pit hole.
We need to be careful, we have to fight for the coffee sector. Personally, I have moved in all villages in Kyotera district, and this is the talk. Even before you address the congregation, they are telling you, our coffee is going because they know UCDA has done so much to ensure that the coffee sector stays as it is and that the coffee sector is developed. So we need as MPs to listen to the cries of the people because coffee is the only source of income, our people in the village are left with,” said Nantongo.
The sentiments also were shared with MPs from Bugusi Parliamentary Group that cast doubts over Government’s claims that the three years transition period to be given to Uganda Coffee Development Authority would accord the Ministry of Agriculture time to apply for international accreditation to export coffee, describing the timeframe as impossible as it takes a minimum of 5years for such an accreditation to be obtained.
Before the Agriculture committee Budadiri west mp Nandala who also doubles as Chairperson of Bugisu Corporative Union, while appearing before Parliament’s Agriculture Committee.
He explained that the accreditation is international and when one is going to export coffee, the only seal allowed is the UCDA seal noting, “What you do, you send your coffee, UCDA does the capping and after that, it gives certification and that certification, because it is the one that is allowed and then it comes and seals your container, that container is communicated in the system worldwide. Now, where that coffee is going, that country will confirm if that seal is from UCDA before they can accept that coffee in that country.”
Nandala added, “So world over, it is UCDA that is known. So for Ministry of Agriculture to become credited, I can tell you, it is not less than 5years. So these are the things that we must consider actively.”
His remarks were in response to a question raised by Lira district woman mp Linda Auma who also doubles as Chairperson, Agriculture Committee who sought clarification on the procedures for any agency to acquire international accreditation and the impact of rationalization of UCDA will have on Uganda’s coffee exports.
“We aren’t consumers of coffee ourselves as a country, we depend on exports. When we rationalize Uganda Coffee Development Authority it is no more and accreditation is in the name of UCDA, when UCDA is no more, it means the accreditation collapses and this is the argument this Committee was putting for not allowing rationalization because has the Ministry already accredited itself, to certify that the quality of our coffee is accepted internationally,” noted Auma.
She added, “I want to know from you people who are coffee farmers, who are coffee exporters, who knows like you, Bugisu Corporative Union have been there before even NRM, this accreditation, how can it be handled? Because certification can be handled by anyone, even a veterinary officer but accreditation at international level that has made our coffee to be accepted worldwide.”
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