The proposed bill by the government to regulate coffee farmers has drawn controversy among Ugandans more especially coffee farmers from central region which is popularly known as the leading coffee growing region in the country.
In an interview with Ug Mirror over the weekend one of the prominent coffee growers, the former legislator Makindye East John Simbwa has expressed his concerns that the bill is a threat to all small coffee farmers claiming that the bill only allows commercial farmers to register providing strict remedies for unregistered coffee farmers.
“It says that anybody found growing coffee without registration will be either imprisoned for two years or he/she will pay fines,” he said.
He noted that the bill states that, for one to register as a coffee farmer he or she must be a commercial farmer.
“If you are not a commercial farmer you are not going to be registered and if you are not registered you will be imprisoned, so Mr. president look at that angle,” he noted.
He is also thinks that if the bill is enacted into law the young men who have been engaging into small coffee trade will be kicked out of the business hence rising unemployment rate.
“Now the law says anybody who deals in internal marketing of coffee must have a license, must be registered; where will these young men who have been trading at small level in coffee go?” he asked.
He noted that the law might have a hidden agenda of kicking away small growers in the business of growing coffee.
“It’s because the law only talks about commercial farming but when it comes to punishments, the law talks about anybody,” he said.
Meanwhile Last week on the same issues concerning coffee farming, the Katikkiro of Buganda Kingdom Charles Peter Mayiga noted that the kingdom opposes some of the sections of the bill which require anybody who grows coffee to register or faces arrest.
He also stated that the kingdom opposes a section that empowers the bill if enacted into law to arrest anybody who abandons the coffee farm among others.
However, on Thursday last week president Museveni while addressing the nation called Mayiga a liar regarding the issue of licensing coffee farmers.
Read the full National Coffee Bill 2018 here
