By Moses Andama
www.mknewslink.com
In Masindi—
Masindi District has deployed community volunteers to crack down on poor coffee-harvesting practices that compromise the quality of the crop.
The District Agricultural Officer, Job Byaruhanga, told this website that the deployment followed a stakeholders’ meeting convened to develop strategies to address practices that lower coffee quality ahead of the harvesting season.
Byaruhanga said the volunteers, who have been deployed across the district, will monitor farmers to ensure they do not harvest immature coffee or dry harvested coffee on the ground, practices that undermine its quality.
He added that the volunteers are authorized to arrest farmers found engaging in the prohibited practices and hand them over to police alongside the coffee, which may be used as evidence in court.
Two people have so far been arrested over the practices, and their case is before court.
Byaruhanga attributed the harvesting of immature coffee partly to traders who hire workers to collect as many bags as possible, regardless of whether the coffee is ripe.
He also blamed the practice on traders who advance money to farmers, explaining that some farmers later harvest and sell their coffee to other buyers, sometimes before it has fully ripened.
The agricultural officer urged farmers to observe recommended harvesting and drying practices to improve coffee quality and strengthen Uganda’s competitiveness in international markets.
Benedicto Sensaga, the chairman of Bwijanga Coffee Farmers Cooperative, welcomed the district’s decision to deploy community volunteers, saying the initiative was encouraging farmers to harvest ripe coffee.
Sensaga attributed premature harvesting to challenges faced by farmers, particularly impatience among some of them.
He commended the volunteers for their efforts, noting that they had undergone several training sessions to equip them with the knowledge needed to promote good coffee-harvesting practices.
Sensaga expressed optimism that the initiative would help improve coffee quality and encourage farmers to adopt better harvesting methods.
