Coffee farmers in Masaka District have expressed concern over limited access to agricultural extension services, warning that the gap threatens recent gains in productivity and investment in the sector.
In recent times, coffee growing has gained momentum across the greater Masaka sub-region, following intensified mobilisation campaigns by various stakeholders. This coincided with a sharp rise in international coffee prices, prompting many farmers to expand acreage under coffee cultivation.
However, the positive response, evident in the increasing land devoted to coffee, is facing a serious challenge due to the shortage of agricultural extension services. Extension support is considered a key pillar in building farmers’ capacity through training in modern and effective farming practices aimed at improving productivity and quality.
Jimmy Mutebi, a coffee farmer from Butaaya Ward in Kimanya-Kabonera Division, says the heightened mobilisation has not been matched by the availability of extension service providers, a gap he believes will negatively affect production capacity.
He notes that many farmers are overcrowding their coffee gardens and engaging in inappropriate practices such as unguided intercropping with bananas and trees, practices that compromise both the volume and quality of coffee yields.
Mutebi fears that without adequate extension services to guide farmers towards optimum production and earnings, many aspiring commercial coffee growers could become frustrated, ultimately hurting the growth prospects of the coffee sector.
Denis Kitone Ssekyewa, the Secretary of Kabonera Coffee Farmers Society in Masaka District, has appealed to the government to consider recruiting at least two agricultural extension workers per parish to bridge the existing knowledge gap among farmers.
Although current local government staffing structures deploy two agricultural extension workers per sub-county, Ssekyewa argues that the arrangement needs to be reviewed to effectively respond to modern-day farming demands and challenges.
He explains that many farmers are still stuck with rudimentary traditional practices, while others are improvising unverified methods that can hardly deliver even average yields.
Jamiruh Walugembe, the Chairperson of Kitanga Coffee Farmers’ Society in Masaka City, has also challenged the government to empower parishes with agricultural extension services to make them more accessible to farmers. He observes that despite farmers organising themselves into groups, many still struggle to access timely extension support whenever they need it.
Meanwhile, Abed Bwanika, the Member of Parliament for Kimanya-Kabonera Division in Masaka City, says he intends to push for a comprehensive policy framework aimed at decisively addressing gaps in the coffee production subsector. Dr Bwanika, who has been actively mobilising communities to invest in coffee growing, believes a structured national approach is necessary to sustain sector growth.
At the national level, Rauben Keimusya, the Assistant Commissioner for Coffee Production at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, says the government plans to use recently collected farmer data to guide planning and policy decisions aimed at transforming the coffee sector.
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