Nile Highlands Arabica Coffee Farmers' Association - Nile Highlands Arabica Coffee Farmers Association

Coffee Processing

Coffee processing is the industrial process of converting the raw fruit of the coffee plant into the finished coffee. However, it is not what one would call a processed product. The cherry has the fruit or pulp removed leaving the seed...

Transportation

Trucks are available at NIHACOFA, in addition to leased ones that are sufficient to meet the local coffee transportation demands from West Nile to any regional destination. NIHACOFA adheres to the regulation of Uganda Commercial Truck Owners’ Association (UCTOA) who...

Marketing

NIHACOFA ensures ready market for all coffee supplied by farmers registered through our registration programme. As part of our efforts to guarentee ready market for all our farmer networks, we undertake exhibition programmes during agricultural fairs to expose the consuming...

Coffee Production in West Nile Sub-Region of Uganda

The West Nile sub-region is known for coffee production which begun in 1950s and in the 1980s up to 2005. Following decades of total state control of the sector, the coffee industry was fully liberalized between 1991 and 1992 and is currently entirely in private hands. However, export quality control remains the responsibility of the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) that grades, liquors and classifies all export shipments. Production averaged almost 3.3 million bags in the six years from 1996 to 2001, with a peak of 4.2 million bags in 1996/7 (a total last seen in 1972) and a low of 2.0 million in 2005/6. The proportion of Arabica coffee fluctuates from around 8 to 10% of the total. Local consumption is limited at around 3% of production. Although the coffee sector was liberalized in early 1990s by the government of Uganda, effort to improve coffee production and quality practices among farmers was affected due to presence of LRA. Those who still engaged in farming could not benefit from their efforts as middle men took advantage of the situation and paid farmers miserable prices. In 2005, coffee farmers mobilized themselves and founded NIHACOFA to improve production, quality and market their coffee at better prices. Now the goal of the association is to improve livelihood of coffee farmers through promoting sustainable production for increased payment at farm gate.