UGANDA: NAAIF UNVEILED NORTHERN UGANDA NEEDS 22 M COFFEE SEEDLING FOR GENERATION CROPPING FOR SMART FARMING

“Today we are giving 50,000 coffee seedling distribution in Gulu District, yesterday we distributed 350,000 coffee in Nwoya District, the same day we gave to Lira and Oyam Districts. We are scaling coffee production, the earlier the better, and we are giving 150,000 for the Dioceses of Northern Uganda Anglican Church of Uganda.”

The calls for action

GULU CITY-FRIDAY APRIL, 17, 2026.

By Okumu Livingstone Langol, Our Correspondent

On Friday April, 17, 2026, in Gulu City, it was humid at 10:00AM local East African time, coffee seedlings from Wakiso district, Central region had packed two trucks full of 50,000 coffee seedlings awaiting distribution, the first batch for northern Uganda.

Prompting Gulu District Production, heading Agricultural ministry Mr. Omoara Emmanuel Paco-too hurriedly ran to Northern Uganda Media Club (NUMEC). A nearby office summoned teams of journalists for the coffee luncheon in Acholi Sub Region.

Today is a call for action, all of us have to work, it should be to police you and police me, I police you. Planting off the very important occasion, I am called Kilama Timothy, the Agricultural Officer for Gulu District, let Rev pray for us.

There was a moment of prayer from the Rev. Samuel Kibwota, the Diocesan Secretary for Northern Uganda Anglican Church of Uganda.

Before us today is the long awaited coffee, you know that is a big deal. For this occasion we have the press, the groups coffee farmers from Bwongatira, cleric presenting Bishop and suppliers of coffee seedling from Wakiso District, we recognized you today, the coffee suppliers from the ministry of Agriculture and Gulu District Head of Department of Agriculture, Gulu District  Agriculture concluded.

Emmanuel Omony Paco-to, the district Production revealed that his Agricultural sector has requested 1 million coffee seedlings from the Ministry of Agriculture, informing coffee farmers from Bwongatira Sub County that it is good that the ministry responded.

“This time round as coffee Department we took their demand for Agro economy, 50,000 is going to be given to Cooperative of Bwongatira coffee farmers, and 150 coffee seedling within two weeks will be given to Dioceses of Northern Uganda, is will be distributed from Gulu City to Omoro District.

Julius Twine, Senior Agricultural Officer from NAAIF, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Oyella Jenny Winnifred the lead coffee farmers in Acholi Sub Region, she is also a coordinator for Acholi Sub Region, Julius in his remark says it is a big program to upscale coffee farm, Northern Uganda if program allow it can be for 3 years.

“When you go to Buganda or our area in the Toro Sub Region you find coffee villages, you find women smiling, people need to be in the garden, yesterday when we distributed 350,000 seedlings in Nwoya District, we found women dancing. Even in my district where there is no coffee, there are problems, drankcerdness is everywhere.

When I went to Lalogi Sub County, that place is in Omoro, there is a moment of silence for the Omoro Community, we need to address permanent problems, and we need to address the permanent solution of poverty, that is coffee production.”

Odwar Santa, Assistant Chief Administrative Officer for Gulu District, asked coffee suppliers from Wakisu District, saying we need our eye contact person to be there when you are loading coffee seedlings, may be you packed the wrong coffee seedling? She questioned.

Gulu District CAO turned to the coffee farmers from Bwongatira Cooperative Coffee Society, she asked when you say coffee farmers groups in Bwongatira, and does it have a name?

Hurriedly one coffee farmer came running, and showed the document to Odwar Santa, the COA for Gulu District, she read it loudly, “Bwongatira farmer Association.”

Questioned again, for how long the farmer groups lasted? I advise you to follow your coffee plantation by the time of planting, how it is nature to the maturity, NAAIF has come timely, the race is up to you.

Turning to Gulu District Agricultural Officers, I hope you have trained the coffee farmers, when there is no rain, we expect good nurturing within 3 years, and we want to hear positive impacts. We expect 150,000 coffee seedling”

Komakech Michael, Councilor 5, the Secretary Production Gulu District also echoed that we need our own eye representative to be part of Suppliers of seedling when the coffee seedling is being parked.

Atim Vicky, Vice Chairman for Gulu District Local Government, reasoned we need to take stock of how coffee grows within the three years. However, the issues of roaming animals during dry season, livestock destroyed coffee plantations, what are the coffee farmers going to do as part of remedy? She cautioned.

“The livestock roaming during dry season, including bush burning that destroyed coffee plantations is a big issue” Atim Vicky stressed.

Julius Twinne Senior Agricultural Officer in-charge of coffee seedling distribution while addressing coffee farmers directly says the ministry of Agriculture is going to give Bananas steams for mulching.

“Let give farmers coffee seedlings so that they are ready to avoid waste.” Julius Twiine argued. We want the region to produce 3 million bags within three years, because there has been a good concept we know northern Uganda is good, ideally we want to make coffee survive with climate smart agriculture success. This is special because we need to plant coffee 2 by 2 feet. We have well planned manure”

We have told farmers this is cost productive. Cow Peace Lapena can create productive coffee . We are going to give farmers Bananas sucker, we are going to give farmers shade trees that we planted with coffee, that will be called smart climatic farming.

We are slao going to give them leguminous crops to be planted, we need 3 million bags in 20230, Ugandans need 20 million coffee bags, we are working with Rocco Paco Cultural Revival under Emeritus Chief Justice Owiny Dollo Chigamoi and Amb Olara Otunnu, we want to support Acholi Cultural intuition and Lango Rwot Nyaci institution.

Odong Ronald, 36 years old, is one of the coffee farmers in Bwongatira Farmer Association, he has one and half coffee farms at St Martin Lukome, is a happy person who says poverty will be heard in a neighboring village.

“For me my father had a coffee farm early, now I am going to plant an additional acre of coffee.” Odong lamented.

Ojara Lutada, the Area Local Council III for Bwongatira is the Chairperson for Bwongatira Coffee Association, revealed that initially they planned for 624 coffee farmers. However, only 171 coffee farmers have registered with them so far.

Oyella Jenny Winifred the Coordinator for Acholi Sub Region, Our Correspondent caught up with her during the 5^th Northern Uganda Trade Shows, this her narrative one-on-one interview.

What is your main activity with Coffee farms in Northern Uganda in order to promote coffee through the Ministry of Agriculture?

Answer, Oyella Jenny Winifred, I am a coffee farmer, I do coffee bananas, also produce planting marital of coffee and Cocoa, Bananas planting method of shade trees, fruit tree and own rental.

My name is Zero Agro Enterprise, my farm is 17 acres of land of coffee beans, I have two acres in Lamogi Sub County, Amuru District.

What is your plan?

My plan is to have 30 acres by the end of this year 2026, I was also nominated to be the best coffee farmer in 2024, and we were taken to the Netherlands in 2025, among Ugandans best coffee farmers, which was supported by the United Kingdom of Netherland in Uganda.

I have been in coffee farming for the last 15 years, all the 17 acres are now in production. My highest harvest yield was in 2020, I got 176 bags of coffee, and each bag was in the range of 87-90 kilograms.

I got 15.8 tonnes, which earned me 126 million shillings only. My lowest yield was in 2025.

How?

I got 112 kilograms of coffee, the reason was, and there was every five to six years the bumper harvest coffee rest, so last year, it coincided with coffee.

The challenge was also an international dry spell, which sometimes caused flower adoration, because I am not using irrigation as of now, I planted to install irrigation to boost productivity.

Another challenge is the arability of carbon especially during peak period digging planting holes, although this time I did not have water for production as a challenge. I am lacking an irrigation system to support coffee production.

What has been your success story in coffee farming?

Another success story, the positive that I have done, you can talk about 17 acres of coffee, I am also adding value to my coffee. I have started parking coffee within the community within the virginity and reaching distance, and I am using the coffee farmers for benchmarking for farmers within and for farmers within neighboring districts.

What advice would you give to farmers who want to grow coffee?

Oyella Jenny Winifred?

I encourage farmers who want to grow coffee for trading for registrations and rotini adversary services on coffee production and also encourage farmers to integrate coffee farming inter farming for sustainable income.

I also encourage farmers to work in Association to access support from well-wishers and government. And also improve on their bargaining power during marketing of coffee.