Timeline of coffee in Uganda

Arabica Nyasa introduced from Nyasaland (Malawi, Zimbabwe) by A. Whyte, then head of Scientific Department Uganda. French Missionaries from Ethiopia later introduced Arabica Bourbon. Robusta is native to Uganda.

1900 1905

39,940 trees were planted in Kivuvu (present day Mukono). These trees produced 33,173 kg of parchment coffee.

1912 1913

European and Asian farmers established 135 plantations, sitting on over 58,000 acres of land, central Uganda.

1915 1925

Coffee Industry Board was established to address quality control issues.

1930

The Department of Crops was created with the responsibility of encouraging the expansion of Robusta Coffee.

1946

The Coffee Wilt Disease was first confirmed in Uganda.

1994

A coffee plantation in Botanical Garden, Entebbe produced its first crop in May and October. Parchment (dried but unhulled coffee) yield for the year was 0.9 kg per tree. Uganda farmers started organising themselves into cooperatives. Coffee accounted for 1 percent of Uganda’s merchandise exports. The first cooperative ordinance was enacted. By end of 1946, 75 organisations of cooperative nature were formed.

The Coffee Marketing Board Ltd finally withdrew from the industry marking the end of government’s involvement in marketing and trade activities. January 1991: CMB was split into two entities: The Coffee Marketing Board Ltd and Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) July 1989: International Coffee Organisation (ICO) members failed to agree on production quotas and prices, and let market conditions determine world coffee prices for two years.

1993 1992 1992

1992/1993: The replanting programme was introduced to enhance productivity by replacing old Robusta trees with high-yielding varieties; and to expand the area under Arabica.

July 1995: The tax rate was substantially reduced Coffee prices started declining and so did production.

1991

July 1991: Uganda Coffee Development Authority statute was passed as an Act of Parliament. The first 20 Ugandan-owned processing and export companies were licensed by UCDA.

The re-introduction of coffee farming in mid-northern Uganda

1989

The InterAfrica Coffee Organisation (ICAO) declared Uganda a Centre of Excellence for Robusta coffee.

1995

April 1994: Uganda Coffee Development Authority Statute was amended.

1994/1995: The price boom was spectacular with Uganda surpassing the 4 million 60-kg bags of coffee for two years in a row.

The reintroduction of the export tax, which amounted to 17 percent of coffee earnings

1996

The export tax was removed The Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD) destroyed 60% of Robusta. 2001-2005: Uganda’s coffee exports declined by 21 percent, from 3.15 to 2.5 million bags mainly of Arabica coffee which was not affected by CWD. The replanting programme peaked when almost 30 million trees were distributed.

1997 2000 2001 2003 2005

The functions of the Industry Board were expanded to include price setting. Coffee overtook cotton as the country’s chief export crop. The Coffee Marketing Board assumed full control of the Robusta coffee industry. A coffee Act was passed that gave CMB full responsibility of all aspects of the coffee industry, including a monopoly in exports.

1953 1958 1959 1962 1969

July 1988:

Government raised coffee prices from Shs50 per kg to Shs111 per kg for Robusta and from Shs62 to Shs125 for Arabica.

February 1987:

Parchment Robusta producer prices rose from Shs24 to Shs29 per kg. Clean (hulled) Robusta prices rose from Shs44.40 to Shs53.70 per kg. Prices for parchment Arabica reached Shs62.50 from Shs50. Coffee Marketing Board (CMB) was formed and responsibilities were further expanded to include marketing activities including coffee buying.

May 1986: Government raised coffee prices paid to producers to more accurately reflect world market prices and local factors, such as inflation. Coffee accounted for most of the total merchandise exports averaging about three million 60-kg bags, 4% of global coffee supply.

1988

December 1988:

CMB was unable to pay farmers for new deliveries of coffee or repay loans for previous purchases. The Board owed one trillion shillings to its suppliers and Shs2.5 trillion to the commercial banks.

1987 1986 1984

Coffee Marketing Board launched an aggressive programme to increase export volumes. 1984-1986: European Economic Community (EEC) financed a coffee rehabilitation program that gave improved coffee production high priority.

1980

Mid 1980s: Seeds for reform were planted. Government began preparing proposals for coffee marketing reforms.

Government launched the Coffee Roadmap to produce 20 million bags by 2025.

2009 2013 2017 2020 2021

Uganda started formulating Robusta Protocols that are now used internationally.

August 2013:

The National Coffee Policy was launched. July 2020: Uganda exports over 500,000 60-kg bags in a single month for the first time since 1991.

1970

August 31, 2021: H.E. Yoweri K. Museveni assented to the National Coffee Act 2021

June 2021: Uganda exported a record of more than 6.1 million coffee bags in FY2020-2021