Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) wants Shs 35Bn for the installation of a coffee traceability system. Janet Okori-Moe, Chairperson, Parliament’s Agriculture Committee explained that UCDA is seeking to establish a national traceability system that will ensure compliance among farmers with regulations by the European Union, that bars the production of agriculture products like coffee from deforested areas.
However, Dickson Kateshumbwa (Sheema Municipality) reacted to the request asking, “When you say that UCDA requires Shs 35Bn to establish a traceability system, is this made on Mars, what kind of system is this, Shs35Bn? Have you interrogated them to tell you, have you benchmarked?” Kateshumbwa asked.
Also Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) is also seeking for additional Shs13.952Bn to fund some other unfunded critical issues including; Shs1.566Bn to promote Uganda’s coffee in China, Shs1.66Bn to promote Uganda’s coffee in Middle East and Maghreb, while another Shs1.2Bn is required to construct a coffee hub in Kyambogo.
Dickson Kateshumbwa (Sheema Municipality) yet again raised queries on this proposal saying, “Then you look at establishing a coffee hub in Kyambogo at Shs1.2Bn to promote people to drink coffee really? You need to help us in some of these things, Shs1.5Bn for promotion of coffee in China. There is already a market of coffee in China that we aren’t fulfilling. We need to interrogate some of these figures, otherwise, it becomes hard for us to rationalise some of these figures.” said Kateshumbwa.
