MPs delay decision on coffee sector management

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Parliament on Thursday deferred a decision to annul the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) to a later date.

Under the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill 2024, Government intends to mainstream UCDA into the agriculture ministry, where its functions shall be undertaken by a department.

UCDA is charged with on-farm and off-farm activities in the coffee value chain.

Official documents indicate that Uganda is currently one of Africa's top coffee exporters with revenue earnings rising from $883.3m (sh3.26 trillion) to $952.24m (sh3.57 trillion) from November 2021 to October 2022.

Uganda recorded its highest coffee exports of 6.26 million tonnes of 60kg bags in 2021/2022 from 5.83 million tonnes of 60kg bags the previous year.

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Government has set an ambitious target of producing 20 million 60kg bags of coffee by 2030 as per the coffee roadmap.

To achieve this, UCDA has distributed 545 million coffee seedlings during the last five years, benefitting 937,605 farmers.

This is likely to increase production from the current 8.16 million 60kg bags in 2022/2023 to 13.7 million 60kg bags in four years’ time.

The development at the Parliament earlier on Thursday followed a two-day standoff which threatened to derail consideration of the bill.

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Minority report

Despite, parliamentary agriculture committee chairperson Linda Agnes Auma (Lira District Woman MP, Independent) supporting the move, several committee members expressed views on the contrary.

Asinansi Nyakato (Hoima City Woman MP, FDC) and Dr Abed Bwanika (Kimaanya-Kabonera, NUP) in their minority report opposed the move. They argue that UCDA has been instrumental in steering the coffee industry to its current level of success and that dismantling the authority will undermine that progress.

On Wednesday, Bwanika, while presenting the minority report, countered that this move contradicts global best practices.

He warned that dissolving UCDA would force the agriculture ministry to reinitiate accreditation processes, a step that could negatively impact Uganda's coffee exports and economy.

“We recommend that rationalization of UCDA, if done, should be with a transition period of five years to allow establishment of systems, structures and personnel that meet the requirements of quality control and accreditation," said Bwanika.

"The bill should be amended to require a statutory instrument by Parliament to effect its commencement."

'Ministry not in ICU'

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, animal industry state minister Lt Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama (pictured above), traced the ongoing tug-of-war to what he called a lopsided decision the agriculture committee undertook during the report writing stage.

“The committee ignored the submissions of Government and intentions and benefits of rationalization and adopted the report of dissenting views of the staff who are going to be rationalized,” he explained.

Rwamirama said they don’t intend to abolish the functions of UCDA but instead maintain the mandate through one of the ministry’s department.

“The authorized agency we are talking about now derives its authority from the Government. I want to say that the Ministry of Agriculture is not in the intensive care unit (ICU). If it was in an intensive care unit, it would not produce children,” the minister said figuratively.

'Ayes have it!'

At exactly 4:12pm on Thursday, doors were flung open and lawmakers were ordered to take their seats for announcement of the voting process. 

Government took the day while those opposing the bill were left sulking.

“I now want to announce the results. The ‘nays’ had 77, congratulations. The ‘ayes’ had 159. So, the ‘ayes’ have it and I adjourn the house sine die,” Speaker of Parliament Anita Among ruled.

Rule 101

The vote was, however, rescinded after the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi (Nakawa West, NUP), pictured below interacting with Speaker Among, countered by invoking Rule 101 of the Rules of Procedure.

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Rule 101 requires a formal vote rather than the usual practice of settling matters by a chorus.

The provision stipulates that where the Speaker has announced the results of the voice voting, and immediately 40 or more members stand in their places signifying their disapproval of the outcome of the vote, then the Speaker or chairperson shall direct the “Ayes” (in support of the bill) into the lobby on his or her right and the “Nays” (those opposing the bill) into the lobby on his or her left.

In addition, the Speaker is supposed to appoint two tellers for each lobby and one for those who abstain to count the votes.

Members shall have their names recorded as they pass through the rear doors.

After the lapse of a reasonable period from his or her original direction, the Speaker shall direct that the rear doors giving access to the division lobbies from the Chamber be closed.

On Thursday, legislators vacated the chambers to carry out voting during the second reading of the coffee bill

A member is not obliged to vote, and one who does not wish to vote shall not enter a division lobby while a division is in progress.

When all members wishing to vote have left the division lobbies, the tellers shall return to the chamber and shall report to the Speaker the number of those who have voted in their respective lobbies as well as those who have abstained.

The Speaker shall then declare the results of the division. The rear doors giving access to the lobbies from the chamber shall then be unlocked.

What next?

With this out of the way, the National Coffee (Amendment) Bill 2024 proceeded to the bills committee stage.

There, each clause will be debated and either approved, amended or rejected by a majority vote.

After this, the bill will be read for the third time and subsequently passed into law.