Inferior Coffee Quality Smuggling Is Playing Havoc With Coffee Farmers – CoffeeTalk

Kanungu district in southwestern Uganda, bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is a key point for cross-border trade. However, the presence of good market prices for coffee in Uganda has led to a disturbing trend whereby middlemen smuggle poor-quality coffee stocks from the neighboring DRC through porous borders into the district. This has significantly impacted coffee quality, causing a drop in prices and undermining the local coffee market.

Kanungu district is home to 11 coffee cooperatives, many of which have suffered due to the influx of smuggled, defective coffee. As a result, these cooperatives are facing considerable losses, and the trust in the market has been eroded due to the poor-quality supplies smuggled into the area. One such cooperative, the Kanungu Coffee Farmers Cooperative Society Limited, was established in 2016 by members of the Kigezi Coffee Development Academy, but it has struggled with quality control due to the influx of smuggled coffee from the DRC. This has led to the rejection of their coffee by buyers and a drop in prices.

The lack of regulatory bodies enforcing coffee quality standards in the DRC has compounded the issue. The government needs to continue addressing quality issues, especially after the abolishing of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority [UCDA] during the recent rationalisation of some of the government agencies. The Ministry of Agriculture should empower agricultural extension workers and parish chiefs to ensure full implementation of the Coffee Act, particularly to curb such practices.

Smuggling is particularly common in the neighbouring sub-counties of Nyanga, Kihiihi, Kyeshero, and Kayonza. Local leaders are actively working on sensitizing the community and encouraging people to report anyone involved in smuggling or selling poor-quality coffee. Security forces have already recognized the problem and deployed surveillance teams to monitor and arrest anyone caught smuggling or selling low-quality coffee in the district.

Despite these efforts, coffee co-operatives in Kanungu continue to face multiple challenges, including price fluctuations, limited capital for business operations, unreliable power supply, and inadequate transport systems. Banet Mwesigwa, Chairman of the Kanungu Coffee Farmers Cooperative, noted the difficulties posed by limited financial resources.

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