By URN
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has announced that they are prepared to negotiate an extension for the registration of coffee farmers as the December 30th deadline approaches.
The Ministry of Agriculture launched the national registration of coffee farmers to ensure compliance with the European Union (EU) standards, specifically the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which requires farmers to prove that their coffee is grown on land free from deforestation.
With less than a month left before the deadline, Tayebwa revealed that he will be traveling to Brussels next week with five other committee members as part of the EU-Africa Joint Parliamentary Assembly to negotiate an extension. He emphasized the importance of maintaining access to the European market, which could impact coffee prices if lost.
Tayebwa stressed that the registration process will not only apply to coffee farmers but also cocoa, avocado, and tea farmers, stating that any agricultural product hoping to access the European market must have its farmers registered.
Deo Mbamanyire, a coffee farmer, expressed support for the registration but raised concerns upon noticing that those conducting the registration were labeled with Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) tags, which was rationalized. Tayebwa responded that although the bill had been rationalized, the President had yet to sign the repealed bill.
In other news, the Deputy Speaker donated 200 million shillings towards the construction of a coffee factory for Mitooma Coffee Processors and Marketing Cooperative Union, based in Bitereko Sub County, Mitooma District. Tayebwa made the donation during a coffee engagement and sensitization meeting with six cooperative societies that are part of the Union. The meeting focused on the coffee farmer registration process and the rationalization of UCDA.
The Union, which includes six cooperatives with over 1,500 members, has secured two acres of land in Rutookye Sub County for the construction of the factory. They are working on raising over 1 billion shillings for this initiative. Barigye Charles, the Secretary Manager, stated that the construction of the factory aims to sell processed coffee in the international market, which would help raise coffee prices for farmers.
Barigye also noted that the sensitization on the rationalization of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority reassured them of their ownership of coffee, encouraging farmers to increase their efforts in cultivating coffee to ensure better production.
