By Spy Uganda
Kampala: On Thursday, Parliament voted to advance the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposes the dissolution of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) after 32 years of operation.
During a two-day clash of ideas, members of Parliament from coffee-growing regions faced off against their colleagues from areas where the cash crop is not cultivated. In a rare division vote, 159 legislators supported sending the Bill to the Committee of the Whole House for clause-by-clause consideration, while 77 legislators, primarily from the opposition, voted against it.
Speaker Anita Among invoked Rule 101 to conduct a division vote after Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi announced that over 40 legislators had protested the Speaker’s claim that the majority supported the Bill during a voice vote.
At around 4:20 PM, following over an hour of voting, Speaker Among, who is set to travel to India for the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth, adjourned the House sine die, leaving stakeholders in the coffee sector in suspense regarding the Bill’s final passage.
The government’s push to rationalize agencies includes the UCDA, which it proposes returning to its parent ministry as a department to save costs and enhance efficiency. Unlike the relatively straightforward dissolutions of the Dairy Development Authority (DDA), National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS), and Cotton Development Organisation (CDO), processing the UCDA Bill proved contentious.
State Minister for Agriculture (Animal Industry) Bright Rwamirama informed Parliament that the government acknowledges the UCDA’s vital role in developing the coffee sub-sector and has allowed for a three-year transition period for the agency to integrate into the Ministry.
“Given the tensions surrounding UCDA’s rationalization, the government has granted a three-year transition period. This will provide time for stakeholders to understand that the same government that supported UCDA aims to empower farmers to earn more,” said Rwamirama.
However, the Committee on Agriculture presented two minority reports opposing the main recommendation for UCDA’s dissolution, which was articulated by Lira District Woman MP Linda Agnes Auma.
The main report highlighted UCDA’s significant achievements and recommended a three-year transition for the Ministry to develop the capacity to fulfil UCDA’s mandates. It also suggested that the Minister of Agriculture provide bi-annual updates to Parliament on progress during this period.
The main report noted that UCDA has been instrumental in establishing Uganda as one of Africa’s top coffee exporters. Revenue from coffee exports rose from $883.3 million in November 2021 to $952.24 million in October 2022, with a record high of 6.26 million 60-kg bags exported in 2020/2021.
Over the last five years, UCDA has distributed 545.4 million coffee seedlings, benefiting 937,605 farmers, and is projected to increase production from 8.16 million bags in 2022/2023 to 13.7 million by 2026/2027.
The first minority report, authored by Asinasi Nyakato (Hoima City Woman MP), Florence Kabugho (Kasese Woman MP), Stella Isodo (Ngora Woman MP), John Paul Lukwago (Kyotera County), and Charles Matovu (Busiro South), opposed the rationalization, advocating for a specialized agency to manage coffee, akin to practices in successful coffee-producing countries like Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia.
“In successful coffee-producing nations, coffee is regulated by specialized agencies. Uganda must adopt this model to avoid regulatory risks,” Nyakato emphasized while presenting the minority report.
Dr. Abed Bwanika (Kimanya-Kabonera MP), presenting a second minority report, expressed concerns about the transition period’s length and the ability of the Ministry of Agriculture to assume UCDA’s responsibilities.
He warned that integrating UCDA into the Ministry could compromise quality control and negatively impact Uganda’s coffee exports. He suggested extending the transition period to five years and ensuring adequate funding for UCDA to support coffee growing, particularly in northern Uganda, to meet the national target of 20 million bags by 2030.
The debate on the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was contentious, particularly among opposition legislators. It became evident that MPs from coffee-growing regions sought to assert their dominance in discussions, reminiscent of previous debates on dissolving the CDO and DDA, where regional representatives had strongly defended their interests.
Tempers flared as notable supporters of rationalization, including Geoffrey Onzima (Ayivu County MP) and Joanne Okia (Madi-Okollo District Woman MP), engaged in a heated exchange. Speaker Among apologized for stating that she would only allow legislators with “clear heads” to debate the Bill after opposition MPs began chanting, “Leave coffee alone.”
MPs raised concerns over the implications of dissolving UCDA. Michael Lulume Bayiga (Buikwe South MP) cautioned against losing the entity’s accreditation, which he claimed could take five to ten years to regain. Aisha Kabanda (Butambala District Woman MP) criticized the government for proposing to abolish UCDA, emphasizing its historical role in supporting coffee farmers.
Brenda Nabukenya (Luwero Woman MP) highlighted the importance of maintaining UCDA’s standards for coffee quality, while Joel Ssenyonyi reiterated the need to consult constituents, arguing that the Bill affects the livelihoods of 12 million coffee growers.
