By Prossy Nandudu
All primary coffee-processing factories in the Greater Mukono, Luwero and Busoga regions have been reopened by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
The facilities were temporarily closed in mid-August following a report that they had not been adhering to coffee processing and harvesting guidelines.
In a statement on Tuesday (October 10), UCDA said some factories were processing coffee cherries that were unripe and wet.
While others were operating in poor hygienic conditions, some factories didn’t have cemented floors and the moving parts of most machines did not have guards.
In some factories, coffee stores could not be accessed by the regulator.
As many as 15 factories were closed in Mukono, 21 in Kayunga, 11 in Buikwe, 36 in Luwero and 14 in Nakaseke while 45 factories were shut in Busoga sub-region.
“We are opening after knowing that coffee is now ready for harvest as per UCDA standards,” Alice Nansamba, a technician from UCDA in charge of the central region, said.
“Benefits to a farmer are that mature and ripe coffee has more weight so they get more kilos to sell to traders. Mature coffee guarantees quality while to a processor, mature coffee utilizes less electricity and pressure on the machinery,” she added.
By closing the factories, UCDA wanted to protect the buyer who could have advanced the money to farmers, protect the farmers from undue pressure and also ensure the quality of processed coffee.
Nansamba called on farmers to adhere to coffee regulations such as hulling or processing well-dried coffee, harvest only ripe cherries, and implement proper post-harvest practices to ensure high-quality coffee production, among others.
