Coffee farmers tipped on modern farming technologies

State Minister for Public Service, David Karubanga has challenged coffee farmers to invest in modern farming technologies if they are to increase their output.

Addressing the media at Kolping Hotel in Hoima on Tuesday evening, Karubanga who is also the Kigorobya County MP, said reliance on traditional farming methods has retarded coffee farmers output.

He urged non state actors like NGOs in agricultural value chain to complement government efforts in training farmers on modern methods so as to build their farming skills in value addition, marketing and packaging of their products.

He said the government is putting up all the necessary strategies to ensure infrastructure is built for people to easily take their agricultural products to markets but people must have enough to sell.

Karubanga who said he is supporting farmers with coffee seedlings, added that majority farmers don't know the recommended planting, weeding and post-harvest handling practices which affects productivity and prices.

He has vowed to make Kigorobya the best coffee producer in the region in the next three years which will also help the people fight poverty.

He said 350,000 seedlings have been offered to farmers from 1,200 households for planting in his county after training them in the best maintenance practices in the last one year.

Karubanga said he has hired the best extension workers from Kaweri coffee plantation in Mubende district who have been moving out to teach farmers the best agronomical practices in coffee growing.

He said the residents are being taught on proper pruning methods, stabbing, fertilizer application and other activities associated with proper coffee growing.

He said his target is to see 2,500 hectares planted that can fetch sh25b per season, adding that this will also attract investors to do processing.

He said the initiative is aimed at increasing coffee production in the area and help residents improve on their households income to live better lives.

Karubanga challenged farmers who receive the seedlings to plant them, noting that proper management of agricultural inputs remains a big challenge to government efforts of poverty eradication.

He also urged residents to embrace the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) so as to gain from the farming inputs being distributed under the programme to improve on their acreage.

Jane Kaahwa, a resident of Bwikya village in Kigorobya Town Council and one of the beneficiaries urged government to increase extension services for coffee.

She said though they once in a while get agricultural extension workers advising them on how other crops like cassava and maize are cultivated, coffee has been neglected the reason it is not grown much in the area.

She said coffee can earn farmers a lot of money if cultivated in quantity and eradicate poverty since it has huge demand on the international market.