The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) has dismissed rumours that the county’s coffee quality has been affected by the heavy rains.
Last month, there were some media reports that heavy rains may mar Ugandan coffee and affect its drying process.
“The quality of Uganda’s coffee crop may decline in the coming months as heavy rains across the East African nation have reduced the amount of sunshine necessary for bean drying,” the news read in apart.
“The drying process is a major problem in most of the places. The weather is not good for drying,” Mr David Muwonge, head of marketing at the National Union of Coffee Agribusiness and Farmer Enterprises (NUCAFE) is quoted by media.
However, these speculation were disregarded by the quality assurance from UCDA.
Mr Edmund kananura Kyerere, the quality and regulatory service director, UCDA said, “I think this is an assumption. It has been raining around the country and we have not noted any change in the coffee quality. We are handling both in cup and physical parameters.”
Uganda is one of the leading coffee exporters in Africa. The country produces and exports Robusta and Arabica cofee. Robusta takes more than 80 per cent of the market share while Arabica takes the 20 per cent share.
Last week, in the Budget reading by Finance Minister, Matia Kasiaga, he said the coffee production capacity has increased from 5.7 million 60-kg bags to 7 million bags between 2017 and 2019.”
The country’s coffee output has surged in recent years, the fruition of a government programme that has been distributing free seedlings to farmers to expand acreage and replace aging trees.
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