Inspire Africa Coffee Park
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I A long term plan to boost Uganda’s coffee value chain has been hatched, and will lead to an increase in the country’s coffee revenue from the current $1b to $4b.
“The battle we have set for coffee is to stop the financial hemorrhage because Africa has been bleeding for a long time,” said President Yoweri Museveni.
He said when a country exports unprocessed coffee, it gets $2.5, and when it is exported to countries like Japan that do not produce coffee, they process it and get $40, which is unfair.
The President sounded the words during the inspection of the progress of the Inspire Africa Coffee factory project in Rwashamaire Town Council, Ntungamo District, recently.
During the inspection, President Museveni said he was pleased with the progress in regard to construction of the factory which is currently at 60 per cent.
“There is going to be a united front to add value to Ugandan Coffee> I term this as Chapter One,” he said.
The President further promised to support the factory with the necessary materials for it to be completed on time.
He cautioned those threatening coffee farmers that they should tread carefully because he will deal with them.
Since 2023, the government has been investing in the coffee value chain through the Coffee Investment Consortium Uganda (CICU) to increase export revenue from coffee, create employment opportunities and increase the farm gate prices.
CICU is a consortium that unites coffee stakeholders in the country to add value to coffee and promote the export of value-added coffee from Uganda as a single source origin.
In the Financial Year 2023/2024, the government of Uganda allocated resources through the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Secretariat under the Office of the President towards the establishment of a modern Industrial coffee park in Rwashamaire Town Council, Ntungamo District.
The construction works which started in October 2023, are at 60 per cent and will be completed in December, 2024. Upon completion, the park will produce instant coffee, drip coffee, malt coffee, coffee energy drink and coffee beauty cosmetics.
Dr. Monica Musenero, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation reported that the value addition campaign to Ugandan coffee was in high gear.
Nelson Tugume, the Director Inspire Africa Coffee Group, said the dream to put up a Coffee Factory seemed impossible at some point, but it has almost materialized due to determination.
The Ugandan Government has already injected over sh37b in the modern industrial coffee park, which it did in FY 2023/24 through the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) secretariat.
This was after leaders from the African coffee-producing countries met in Kampala in August 2023 for the G-25 African Coffee Summit, and agreed to push the value-addition agenda and end the export of raw coffee beans.
Since 2023, the government has been investing in the coffee value addition chain through the Coffee Investment Consortium Uganda (CICU), to increase export revenue from coffee, create employment opportunities and increase the farm gate prices.
Coffee is currently Uganda’s second-highest export earner after gold. Between May 2023 and April 2024, Uganda’s coffee exports fetched $1.02b, a seven per cent increase from the previous financial year
