Bishop Magezi Urges Coffee Farmers to Register
Coffee growers in Northwest Ankole Diocese,Ibanda district have been urged to participate in the ongoing farmer registration exercise. This call was made by Bishop Amos Magezi emphasizing that the initiative is vital for protecting households which are dependent on coffee production.
He further revealed that this will ensure stability of the church and the national economy by facilitating uninterrupted coffee exports to the European Union (EU).
This call comes at a time when Uganda is approaching a critical deadline to comply with new EU legislation regarding coffee imports from “deforested zones.” The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) set to take effect on December 30 mandates that exporters and farmers demonstrate that coffee intended for the EU market is sourced from land where deforestation has not occurred since 2020. The registration exercise aims to establish a traceability system for coffee enabling Uganda to maintain access to the EU market which has 26 member countries.
During a media briefing on October 15 at his office in Ibanda town, Bishop Magezi highlighted the urgency of completing the farmer registration process in collaboration with the government before the deadline. He noted that coffee cultivation is a key initiative for the seven-year-old diocese which has distributed over 100,000 coffee seedlings across its 36 parishes.
Bishop Magezi pointed out that compliance with EU regulations would help ensure stable household incomes allowing families to afford education, healthcare and other necessities while also potentially reducing domestic violence driven by poverty. The regulation is intended to ensure traceability of coffee from farms to market.
He also announced that the diocese’s farmer registration system has received approval from the government and the EU. Since the registration process commenced in mid-2023 over 5,000 farmers have already been registered. However, the prelate called for government support noting that enumerating farmers is a challenging and costly task. The diocese plans to invest over 80 million Ugandan shillings in this initiative.
An enumerator from Kyanyabigondo, Kitontooma parish in the Bugarama archdeaconry reported that some individuals are hesitant to register due to fears of potential taxation.
