Mityana Coffee Farmers Urged to Properly Manage Seedlings to Improve Household Incomes

What the report says

Coffee farmers in Mityana District have been urged to properly plant and care for 50,000 coffee seedlings distributed to them, with local officials saying the input is meant to raise production, improve household incomes and reduce poverty. The seedlings were handed over at the district headquarters as part of support associated with Mityana Woman MP and Lands Minister Judith Nabakooba.

According to Nile Post, the appeal was made by district agriculture and livestock officer Sseremba Daniel, who stressed that the donation would only help farmers if they treated coffee as a long-term crop and maintained the seedlings until they mature. Mityana Resident District Commissioner Joseph Drake Mukiibi also encouraged beneficiaries to make active use of government-backed agricultural support rather than waiting for the state to do everything for them.

Nabakooba said leaders who promote farming should also back farmers in practical ways and work alongside extension officers to strengthen coffee growing. District councillor for agriculture Maria Jackline Nampijja likewise urged beneficiaries to avoid neglecting the seedlings and to plant them in suitable conditions.

The report reflects a broader push in Uganda to expand coffee production as a source of rural income. In this case, the main concern from officials was not just distribution of seedlings, but whether farmers can successfully nurture them into productive trees.