By John Masaba
The European Union (EU) has extended the coffee registration for one year to allow the government to register more farmers who had missed out.
Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze revealed that this follows a request from coffee producing countries, including Uganda, for more time to carry out registration and compliance to the European Union Regulation on Deforestation-free Products (EUDR).
Under the framework, coffee-producing countries were required to have registered all farmers who intend to contribute coffee for export to the region by December 30, this year; meaning that countries had only about a month to comply with the measure.
The extension means that the deadline has now been pushed to December 30, 2025.
This measure is one of the EU’s moves to ensure products from coffee-producing countries do not originate from deforested land.
This is one of the ways to protect forests from encroachment as the planet faces the phenomenon of climate change.
“We believe that in one year more we shall have registered a substantial number of farmers including the small-holder people,” Tumwebaze said, while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Tuesday, November 19.
The minister revealed that they have so far registered a total of 186,434 farmers.
He said these were registered from 210,863 farms, adding that these are about 20% of all farmers in Uganda.
According to Tumwebaze, registration will continue and whoever will not have registered at the end of the extended period will not be able to contribute coffee for export.
He said the registration affects all farmers regardless of the acreage of coffee grown.
“Each registered farmer has received a card with their personal details including a unique identification number and details about the farm,” he said, adding that the card as well as certificates issued to hurler operators, roasters and value operators, will remain valid despite the dissolution of Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
He called on resident district commissioners, chief administrative officials and local government officials in coffee growing areas to support the farmers’ registration exercise, saying it will ensure that Uganda’s coffee continues to be bought at premium prices on the world market.
Mwanyi terimba
Meanwhile, Dr Stephen Byatwale, the commissioner in charge of crop protection, confi rmed that the Government had licensed Mwanyi Terimba, a company linked to Mengo, to start exporting coffee to China.
He explained that the company was granted a one-year licence to export coffee.
“They wrote to us requesting to allow them to start exporting and we did the inspection and found them worth,” he said.
To export out of the country, one has to be licensed, have premises for storage and grading and a bond (security) of $30,000 (sh110.4m).
Uganda’s coffee exports have continued to go on an upward trajectory, rising in both value and volume.
According to UCDA, a total of 837,915 60kg bags of coffee valued at $221.63m (sh819.03b) were exported in August this year. This is a 5.3% increase from the July revenues of $210.48m (sh795b) from 821,593 60kg bags.
Dissolution of UCDA
At the event, the minister also gave an update on the status regulation of the sector following the passing of the National Coffee Amendment Bill 2024, which seeks to mainstream the UCDA into the agriculture ministry.
Tumwebaze said while the Bill is being processed into law, regulation of the sub-sector remains the work of UCDA, adding that the entity is carrying out its normal operations, including inspections and enforcement as well as farmer registration and export certification and sensitisation.
The minister cautioned farmers who have loosened compliance to the coffee regulation, including picking unripe coffee beans and running illegal coffee nurseries, saying they will be brought to book.
