Some of the activities on the retreat, set for June 13 to 20, include a tour of the famous Hawaii Agricultural Research Centre and farms. Saleh Nakendo, the chief executive officer of the Africa Coffee Bureau, who is part of the event organisers, says Ugandan farmers and scientists will greatly benefit from visiting Hawaii where they get hands-on experience and modern technology in coffee production.
“The retreat is a great opportunity to open up channels for exchange of new science and technologies for adoption and trial in Africa. Our scientists will create collaborative research linkages with their counterparts in Hawaii,” he said.
Furthermore, Nakendo expects Ugandans and other Africans (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania have also been invited) to learn new ways of managing diseases and pests. They will also look at the approach Hawaii has taken in mitigating challenges of climate change vulnerability.
Hawaii is the largest producer of coffee in the USA. According to data from the state of Hawaii Department of Agriculture, farmers grow coffee in each county of the state. Hawaii yields distinct flavors of coffee as a result of variations in climate, cultivation, harvesting and processing.
After touring Hawaii, the Ugandan delegation will also participate in an exhibition event in Chicago. Abu-Baker Mulumba, who is coordinating the event, says the exhibition is an opportunity to market Ugandan coffee and its products to American roasters and consumers.
Joseph Nkandu, the executive director of National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE), is optimistic they will learn more from their USA colleagues.
“We shall be there to share our experience but more so to learn from them because they are in big production and advanced,” Nkandu said.
STATISTICS
Despite the decline in its growth as a major cash crop, coffee remains one of Uganda’s leading foreign currency earners. For instance, Uganda recorded a 23 per cent growth in coffee export earnings for the 2020/21 coffee season (October-September) to $629.8 million.
According to statistics from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), farmers exported 6.49 million (60kg) bags of coffee for the 2020/21 season compared to 5.36 million 60kg bags in the 2019/2020 season.
The farmers earned $512 million in the previous year. For the past decade, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority has distributed millions of coffee seedlings to farmers across the 98 districts in a move aimed at seeing the country export 20 million bags a year by 2030.
However, challenges of low productivity, unpredictable weather conditions, inadequate agricultural extension officers and low use of fertilizers, remain a big hindrance to productivity.
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