NEWS– The Kanungu District Chairman for Production, Marketing and Commercial Services Joshua Rukundo has urged the coffee farmers to utilise the services of Uganda Coffee Development Authority in order to produce high quality coffee that will fetch high prices on the international market.
Rukundo made the remarks today while addressing the Kanungu Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd 6th Annual General Meeting that took place at St Andrews Church of Uganda Kihihi in Kihihi Town Council in Kanungu District.
Rukundo told the shareho6qf the meeting that coffee is a strategic crop that has International acclamation and consumed worldwide and therefore farmers should consider it as a business and then produce high quality product.
He however said that in order to sustain the their Cooperative, the members must purchase more shares in order to raise working capital and start buying anf selling the coffee as a Society to the International market without going through middle men.
Earlier, the Chairperson of Kanungu Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd Bannet Mwesigwa said that they now have 711 shareholders and 1650 members with a share capital of Ugx 24 million and are now constructing a permanent structure at a site that was given to them by Kihihi Town Council.
He said that the Society has tried to operate without external borrowing in the past year and this has enabled them to disburse over Ugx 30 million to the 9 Groups under the proper Village Savings Loan Association (VSLA) methodology and none of the groups is defaulting.
Mwesigwa said that this has build mutual trust between the Cooperative and the farmers which has helped them understand ownership in the cooperative movement.
He however, said that there has been decline in coffee prices of up to 30% and this is limiting them to do more business.
The Kanungu Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd Elizabeth Ekyasimire said that for the past financial year, they have tried to settle debts and arrears and the Society is now operating normally.
Kanungu Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd is supported by Pilot Light Foundation (PLF) that gives them grants that are given to the farmers as organic farming training and training groups executives on governance and records keeping.
However, the Pilot Light Foundation Representative Muhizi Delphino said that beginning 2024, they shifted their attention from dealing with the Cooperatives and will henceforth deal directly with the farmers working in the groups.
He revealed that since their Organisation started working with farmers in Kanungu, they have sank in between Ugx 400 million to Ugx 500 million to support farmer trainings and other capital projects needed by the District Office.
The District Commercial Officer Caleb Owomuhangi told the meeting that it’s high time they stopped selling their coffee to middle men and evolve capacity to buy coffee from farmers and sell it directly to Kampala traders or sell on the international market.
Uganda Coffee Development Authority Kanungu District Cordinator Robert Museveni urged the Kanungu Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd that Coffee becomes a profitable investment and business only if proper practices are followed right from planting to harvesting and this ensures high quality coffee that can get high prices on the international market.
The meeting was also addressed by the District Production Officer Godwin, Kihihi Town Council Woman Councillor Rukia Mbabazi and Kihihi Town Council Mayor Sostine Atwiinwe Buregyeya all who appealed to turn coffee farming into a commercial business venture.
