Sembabule Coffee Farmers Eye Global Markets Through New Export Partnership

What the report says

More than 100 coffee farmers in Sembabule District have been trained on coffee quality, traceability and international standards as part of a push to connect local producers to export markets in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, according to Nile Post. The training was organized by Kampala-based Thomas JM Global Export, working with the Sembabule District Coffee Farmers Association, and centered on improving production practices and building a longer-term supply relationship.

The engagement began in Mateete Sub-county, where the exporter met small-, medium- and large-scale farmers. Thomas JM Global Export’s Country Director, Dr Jim Tubuhaburwa, said the company wants to work directly with farmers and is already positioned to link coffee to overseas buyers. He pointed to challenges such as low productivity, pests and diseases, limited access to quality seedlings and inputs, poor drying and storage, and unstable market prices.

An agricultural scientist, Christine Kanweri, told farmers that quality starts at the farm level and depends on good planting materials, proper agronomic practices, pest control, timely harvesting, drying and storage. Hajji Kamada Musiin, who leads the district coffee traders, processors and farmers association, said reliable markets remain a major concern and welcomed the possibility of a partnership if it delivers training and market access.

The reported initiative matters because Sembabule is a major coffee-producing area, and the effort could improve traceability and earnings while giving farmers a clearer route into formal export chains. More broadly, it reflects ongoing efforts in Uganda’s coffee sector to improve quality and move more production into higher-value international markets.