Author: Angella Nampewo. PHOTO/FILE
As the debate rages on the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024 which aims to mainstream coffee activities into the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and do away with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), one rallying call stuck out for me. It is the appeal to Ugandans to consume more coffee. According to the UCDA, domestic consumption of coffee is still only about three to five percent of the total annual production.
UCDA’s updates show that domestic roasters – we have only 12 – face fierce competition from exporters for the best grade of coffee. As such, the local market must settle for cheaper “rejects” or what cannot make it to the international market.
This is one area of regulation that is still failing to arrest substandard products even if they are just meant for our local cups. We too, deserve better.
I love good coffee, and this country is not short of it. Coffee brings people together. Traditionally, friendships were sealed over coffee. Modern-day business deals are cut over a cup of the strong, sweet brew. This past season, we have had plenty of time and reason to reflect on the role that coffee plays in the lives of Ugandans, including but not limited to contributing a significant chunk of money to the national purse. Ordinary citizens have built houses, put their children through school and even built schools in their communities, among other things.
Therefore, rationalisation or not, the coffee sector regulator or the national standards body or both, owe Ugandans better coffee for our homes and city cafes. Who is tasting and testing the stuff that ends up on our supermarket shelves and in our café au lait? We have improved on our packaging, and it is common to see glossy coffee packs bedazzling the shelves of various stores but what they contain is sometimes very disappointing. We cannot sell the world our best and retain the very worst to serve our people.
I will draw parallels with my coffee shopping experience in Rwanda. You can pick coffee from a random store—I don't remember where I bought mine. As a tourist looking for a souvenir to carry back home for friends, I settled for coffee. When I brought it back, I gave it away as planned and even forgot about it for a while until the coffee enthusiasts and connoisseurs I had gifted came back, singing its praises. Now if you don’t shop very carefully here, you may land on some embarrassing product.
My point is that we should not neglect the quality of the coffee we roast for home consumption because it is akin to export since it is what we offer to foreign and local guests. The same should apply to other products such as tea. We should have another day just to discuss the objectionable stuff we are served or are unfortunate enough to buy in the local shop, in the name of tea.
Ugandan coffee was ranked third globally by the Coffee Quality Institute, behind Kenya and Ethiopia. To attain this grade, the country sample must pass the tests for aroma, flavour, acidity, body, balance and other parameters. Yet, having passed with flying colours on the international scene, we still allow entities to roast, package and serve coffee in-country, which could make one turn their nose up. UCDA admits it too.
As we aim to keep the farmers in business and government export revenues flowing in, let’s not be like the homeowner who serves the visitors the choicest cuts of beef and leaves only scraps or nothing at all for their children.
Ms Nampewo is a writer and editor
[email protected]
