Tororo, Uganda: Vice President of Uganda, Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, has launched the second planting season of the Coffee and Cocoa Promotion Programme in the Bukedi Sub-region, calling on farmers to embrace commercial agriculture as a sustainable pathway to household wealth creation, increased exports and rural transformation.
The campaign, launched at Tororo District Headquarters on Friday under the theme “Coffee for Wealth Creation and Household Commercialization,” aims to accelerate coffee and cocoa production across the seven districts of Bukedi, including Tororo, Busia, Butaleja, Kibuku, Budaka, Butebo and Pallisa.
Addressing farmers, district leaders, agricultural extension workers and development partners, Alupo said Uganda’s future economic transformation depends on shifting households from subsistence farming to profitable commercial agriculture.
“Our transformation will not come through speeches alone. It will come through hard work, discipline, proper farm management and collective commitment to commercial agriculture,” the Vice President said.
She noted that Uganda’s economy has historically been driven by export commodities such as coffee, cotton, tea, tobacco, tourism and copper, but observed that the collapse of cotton production left many communities in eastern Uganda dependent on low-income subsistence farming.
According to Alupo, the government is now positioning coffee and cocoa as strategic enterprises capable of increasing household incomes, creating employment opportunities and expanding Uganda’s export earnings.
The Vice President said the campaign directly supports President Yoweri Museveni’s long-term vision of household commercialization through agriculture and complements programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga.
Supporting Uganda’s Coffee Roadmap
Alupo reminded farmers that the government’s Coffee Roadmap, approved by President Museveni in 2017, seeks to increase Uganda’s annual coffee production to 20 million 60-kilogram bags by 2030, up from current production levels.
She expressed confidence that Bukedi’s fertile soils, favourable climate and strategic location near the Kenyan border position the sub-region to become one of Uganda’s leading coffee-growing areas.
“The opportunity before Bukedi is enormous. We have suitable land, hardworking farmers and access to regional markets. If we embrace commercial coffee and cocoa production, household incomes will significantly improve,” she said.
To support the programme, government and its partners plan to raise and distribute more than 80 million coffee and cocoa seedlings over the coming years to farmers across the country.
Climate Resilience Key to Agricultural Growth
The Vice President also warned that climate change continues to threaten agricultural productivity through prolonged dry spells and unpredictable rainfall patterns.
She urged the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) to scale up investment in irrigation systems, valley dams, valley tanks, water harvesting technologies and community reservoirs to ensure year-round production.
Alupo further called for continued provision of certified planting materials, strengthened agricultural extension services and greater investment in value addition to enable farmers to earn higher returns from their produce.
She challenged district leaders to mobilise more young people to participate in commercial farming and take advantage of government wealth creation initiatives.
“Our youth should view agriculture as a business. Coffee and cocoa can transform families, create jobs and improve livelihoods if managed professionally,” she said.
Positioning Bukedi for Regional Markets
The Vice President concluded by urging farmers to remain committed to improving productivity and quality so that Bukedi can become a major contributor to Uganda’s growing coffee exports.
She noted that the sub-region’s proximity to Kenya and other regional markets provides a competitive advantage for farmers seeking to access international buyers and expand their incomes through commercial agriculture.
Uganda recently overtook Ethiopia to become Africa’s leading coffee exporter, with government targeting increased production, improved quality and expanded value addition as key pillars of the country’s agro-industrialisation agenda.
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