By:Joseph Mary Buwule.
KAMPALA. The vice president Jessica Alupo together with Teso Parliamentary Group is intensifying efforts to promote coffee and cocoa farming in Teso sub-region, positioning the two cash crops as key drivers in the fight against household poverty.
Teso consists of Soroti city, Soroti, Serere, Kumi, Katakwi, Kaberamaido, Kapelebyong, Kalaki, Ngora, Bukedea, Amuria districts and covers an area of 13,030.6 km. It is home to an estimated 2.5 million people of Iteso and Kumam ethnicity. The sub-region is known for agriculture, especially citrus, and cattle rearing.
Speaking during a TPG meeting yesterday, VP Alupo said, she conceived the idea of introducing the two cash crops in Teso sub-region when she represented President Museveni during the official distribution of coffee and cocoa seedlings in bukedi sub-region.
During the ceremony, 50,000 coffee seedlings and 10,000 cocoa seedlings were given out to farmers across Bukedi sub-region.
“I inquired about the same for Teso sub-region. The ministry of agriculture, animal industry and fisheries announced that government had already distributed coffee and cocoa seedlings to Teso farmers.
With this motivation, I requested MAAIF, OWC and State House Local Content Unit to arrange for more seedlings and prepare more farmers from across Teso to benefit,” she said.
In the same vein, the vice president asked the officials to train farmers on planting, harvesting, drying, and marketing of these new cash crops. “This is an approach that will diversity the cash crops in our region and will greatly support our people in the generation of household income,” Alupo emphasized to the members of Parliament.
She highlighted that coffee and cocoa will offer farmers a more reliable and sustainable source of income compared to traditional food crops.
“With rising global demand and established markets, these high-value crops will be seen as viable options for increasing household incomes in the sub-region,” she said.
Under the initiative, government will continue to distribute seedlings, provide farmers training and strengthen extension services to improve productivity and crop management.
She encouraged farmers to adopt modern techniques such as irrigation, pest control and post-harvest handling.
We want farmers to move beyond subsistence and begin farming as a business, “she said, adding: Coffee and cocoa have potential to bring steady incomes and improve household livelihoods.
Ministry of Agriculture Commissioner for Coffee production, Reuben Keimusya, said feasibility studies confirmed that Teso soils and climate are suitable for both crops.
“This is a deliberate move to diversify into coffee and cocoa, which can reduce overreliance on seasonal food crops and cushion farmers against climate-related shocks,” he said.
He added that government now considers coffee and cocoa central to its poverty reduction strategy due to their export value and income stability.
Local leaders are now promoting a transition to commercial agriculture, with coffee and cocoa at the center of the strategy.
Hajjat Aminah Mukalazi, the Head of the State House Local Content Unit and Minister of State for Privatization and Investment designate called on coffee farmers to support the government’s push to stop the export of unprocessed raw materials, saying the move would accelerate Uganda’s industrialization agenda and create more jobs and income.
“We must continue to add value to our coffee, cotton, minerals, among others, to create jobs and incomes for our people and revenues for the government to carry out our mega infrastructure projects,” Mukalazi said.
She said coffee remains one of Uganda’s leading export crops, contributing 17-20% of foreign exchange earnings. She noted that about 20% of Ugandans earn all or part of their income from coffee, which supports both direct and indirect employment.
MPs welcomed the introduction of coffee and cocoa farming in the sub-region emphasizing that the region will promote coffee consumption through outreach activities targeting schools, universities, religious institutions and community gatherings.
The new strategy, also being accelerated by operation wealth creation aims to raise household incomes to at least Shs30million per year by 2040. The program (coffee and cocoa farming) will officially be flagged off in Katakwi district on Saturday 27th June, 2026 targeting second season which commences in July.