The Ugandan government is exploring plans to set up coffee nursery beds in key districts across Northern Uganda as part of a strategy to increase coffee production and diversify farmers’ incomes. Dr. Kenneth Omona, State Minister for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, told Uganda Radio Network that the initiative is aimed at providing farmers in the region with better access to high-quality coffee seedlings.
Omona explained that once the nursery beds are established, the government will collaborate with local leadership to identify active farmers who can be trained to help others adopt improved coffee farming techniques. Although he did not specify the timeline or the districts that will host the nursery beds, Omona emphasized the government’s commitment to building a coffee value chain in Northern Uganda.
The government is focused on promoting coffee as a perennial crop in the region, which could help increase the incomes of farmers who have long relied on low-yielding annual crops.
For farmers like John Lakony, who owns three acres of coffee in Lalar Parish, the plan to establish nursery beds in every district is a welcomed development. Lakony explained that limited access to local nursery bed operators in areas like Nwoya and other neighboring districts in Acholi has hindered efforts to expand coffee farming.
“We don’t have many coffee nursery beds here in Nwoya, which is a challenge. We also spend a lot on buying and transporting seedlings from far away. Having one nearby would really help,” Lakony told URN. He noted that a clonal Robusta coffee seedling costs between 1,500 and 2,000 shillings, a price that can be unaffordable for many small-scale farmers in the region.
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