KAMPALA- Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has on Thursday, July 1, met different stakeholders regarding the National Coffee Bill 2018.
Parliament through the Agriculture committee started the process of handling the Bill, such as seeking the public views about it.
Coffee farmers under NUCAFE led by former Finance Minister Gerald Ssendaula, met the committee and appealed to it to provide for creation of Uganda Coffee Regulatory Authority to play a regulatory function.
They have also requested Parliament to make Uganda Coffee Development Authority an Agency and play the development function (including manning funds for seedlings and overseeing their distribution).
The Committee also met coffee growers from Bugisu sub region who proposed mandatory registration of farmers countrywide to assist the regulatory authority in monitoring and resource distribution.
Bugisu Coffee Growers also proposed a coffee training Institute to champion research on coffee production and value chain.
Last week on Thursday, Zigoti Coffee Company also appeared before the committee to provide it with their insights on the proposed National Coffee Bill.
The committee was chaired by the MP Adjumani East County, Hon. Okori- Moi Janat and the company said it was very okay with this Bill as it will boost Coffee companies.
Mr. Kisekka George from Zigoti said that Zigoti Coffee Company welcomes the proposed National coffee bill, 2018 in its totality.
“The bill is important because the coffee sector has been poorly managed in the past,” he said.
This bill is a new law proposed by the government of Uganda that seeks to regulate the growing and sale of coffee.
It is being drafted under the National Coffee Bill, 2018, which is aimed at maintaining quality in the coffee sector that is Uganda’ biggest foreign exchange earner.
