Bunyoro advised to grow more coffee
Sep 19, 2014
Bunyoro Kitara Diocese Bishop, Nathan Kyamanywa has urged people in the sub-region to grow more coffee if they are to improve their household incomes and live better lives.
By Robert Atuhairwe
Bunyoro Kitara Diocese Bishop, Nathan Kyamanywa has urged people in the sub-region to grow more coffee if they are to improve their household incomes and live better lives.
Kyamanywa, made the remarks on Tuesday at the Diocese offices in Duhaga, Hoima district while presiding over the distribution of coffee seedlings.
The 30,000 coffee seedlings of Arabica coffee to benefit over 100 people from four archdeaconries in Hoima district were donated by State house through Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) following a request by the diocese.
St. Peter’s Cathedral church got 3,740 seedlings for 34 individuals, Bishop’s office 1,910 for 10 people, Butema parish 6,490 to benefit 59 people while, Karongo parish received 1,100 for 10 people.
He said government’s commitment to give free coffee seedlings to the community as one way of increasing coffee production in the country to eradicate household poverty is an opportunity that people should utilize to plant more.
He also urged the beneficiaries to look after the seedlings well if the region is to get more donations in future, adding that the donors first consider whether the first batch were properly looked after before giving more to benefit other people.
“Don’t abandon them in the bush to fall victims to bush fires, weed them properly and if the dry season becomes stubborn irrigate them so that they can survive for harvest,” he said.
Bunyoro Kitara diocese covers the districts of Hoima and Kibaale.
Rev. Christopher Asiimwe, the Diocese officer in charge of planning and development activities told the New Vision that the coffee seedlings are being distributed to every archdeaconry across the diocese and some were handed over to the respective parish reverends.
He said in April the diocese still got a donation of 200,000 coffee seedlings from statehouse through UCDA that it distributed to Bugambe sub-county, Hoima and Kibaale.
He said individuals are the ones to benefit upon fulfillment of the set preconditions like having land where to plant and exhibiting the will to look after these seedlings.
One of the beneficiaries, Dina Kajura of Bujuura-Karongo parish in Bujumbura division, Hoima thanked the government for the donation.
She said this will boost her income since coffee pays more, has ready market, a perennial crop that is harvested twice a year and not much labour intensive.
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