UGANDA – More than 15,000 farmers in Uganda’s Pader District are set to specialize in coffee and cocoa farming under the National Development Plan 4 (NDP4).
This initiative, spearheaded by the district agricultural office, aims to improve household incomes and combat poverty by focusing on these lucrative perennial cash crops.
Seydou Opoka Adolatona, the district agricultural officer, highlighted the sustainability and economic benefits of the initiative.
“These crops are sustainable and offer significant economic benefits. Once planted, they require minimal recurring costs, unlike rotational crops. This makes them ideal for farmers looking for stable and long-term income sources,” Adolatona stated.
Under the program, farmers will dedicate at least two acres to cultivating coffee and cocoa, with support from the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries and Operation Wealth Creation. The support includes the provision of seedlings, training, and irrigation facilities.
Martin Okello, a member of the Puranga Coffee and Dairy Farming Society, emphasized the financial advantages of these crops compared to traditional staples like maize.
“Coffee fetches 5,000 shillings (US$1.36) per kilogram, while cocoa earns 25,000 shillings (US$6.8) per kilogram,” he noted.
In addition to distributing seedlings, the district is actively promoting irrigation, conducting soil tests, and training farmers on best practices.
Despite staffing challenges—with only 25 percent of the required extension workers available—the district is determined to scale up production.
In 2023, Pader District sold two tons of processed coffee, and officials are confident of surpassing this figure in the coming year.
Meanwhile, the global cocoa industry is experiencing significant price surges due to constrained supply and adverse climatic conditions
In December 2024, the global cocoa price reached US$10.32 per kilogram, reflecting a 30.73 percent increase from the previous month and a 145.2 percent rise from December 2023.
Analysts predict prices could rise even further, potentially surpassing US$11,000 per metric tonne in 2025.
The price surge has been driven by adverse weather, farmland reductions caused by illegal gold mining activities, and other constraints in major cocoa-producing countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast.
In September 2024, Ghana’s Cocobod announced an increase in cocoa prices for the 2024-2025 season, setting the price at GH₵48,000 (US$3,235) per tonne, equivalent to GH₵3,000 (US$202.21) per 64-kilogramme bag of cocoa.
This marked a 129.36 percent increase from the previous season.
Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news and insights from Africa and around the world, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.