UCDA destroys poor quality coffee

The Uganda Coffee Development Authority(UCDA) has confirmed destroying a number of tonnes of coffee in Bukomansimbi due to poor quality.

The authority revealed on Wednesday while reacting to a letter addressed to them by the minister of youth and children affairs Nakiwala Kiyinji, condemning their operations during the COVID-19 lockdown.

However, UCDA managing director Dr. Emmanuel Lyamulemye says it's a routine operation conducted twice a year to protect the quality of the coffee.

Lyamulemye says poor quality coffee cannot be entertained because it negatively affects Uganda's coffee on the global market.

"Some of the coffee was heaped in stores and had become moldy. Also, the coffee itself is not good, it has lost the quality, aroma, and taste," he says.

Lyamulemye adds that they try to sensitise the farmers and traders and those who err like those they found in Bukomansimbi they involve the Police who apprehend them.