The government has distributed 8,000 modern coffee seedlings to farmers in Masaka District in a move aimed at boosting coffee production, improving household incomes and supporting the national poverty eradication agenda.
The seedlings were distributed through the office of former vice president Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, with beneficiaries drawn mainly from Kyannamukaaka and Kyesiiga sub-counties.
The initiative is part of government efforts to promote coffee as a reliable cash crop, in line with the Buganda Kingdom campaign "Emwanyi Terimba," which encourages residents to embrace coffee farming as a sustainable route out of poverty.
Masaka District remains one of the key coffee-producing areas in the greater Masaka sub-region, with thousands of households depending on the crop to meet income, education and basic household needs.
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Speaking during the handover of the seedlings at Bulegeya Village in Kyannamukaaka Sub-county, Oscar Mutebi, an aide to Mr Ssekandi, said President Museveni has prioritised youth participation in agriculture, particularly coffee growing, as a long-term strategy to address unemployment and poverty.
"Government wants young people to take coffee seriously so that they can secure their future and move away from poverty," Mutebi said.
Mutebi also called for increased government support to farmers through the provision of fertilisers to improve yields and quality.
He further appealed for assistance to landless farmers through livestock programmes, saying this would enable more residents to benefit from government interventions.
Joseph Kizito Kawonawo, who coordinates special duties in Ssekandi's office, cautioned farmers against selling the seedlings, urging them to plant and properly manage them for long-term economic gain.
"Government has opened pathways for people to improve their livelihoods. These seedlings should be used for development, not quick money," Kawonawo said.
Agricultural extension worker John Baptist Matovu advised farmers to work closely with trained agricultural officers to ensure proper planting and management, warning that poor farming practices could result in losses.
Farmers who received the seedlings welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely and potentially transformative.
Several said the support would help them increase production, raise incomes and improve living standards within their communities.
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However, farmers also raised concerns over persistent challenges affecting the coffee sector, including coffee wilt disease, high fertiliser prices and the prevalence of counterfeit agro-inputs, which they said continue to undermine productivity.
As government continues to promote coffee as a pillar of Uganda's economy, farmers in Masaka have appealed for sustained technical support and stricter regulation of agricultural inputs to ensure the sector remains profitable and resilient.
